


Bad Company

by outlawjames13



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-01
Updated: 2015-05-01
Packaged: 2018-03-26 16:22:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 32
Words: 43,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3857164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/outlawjames13/pseuds/outlawjames13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She stands up straight,  even though it hurts to do so.  She's a good student, although it's a miracle because she stays up so late. Bright shirts and tight jeans cover her beaten and bruised body. She walks with confidence and treats everyone with kindness during the day, but at night she's a totally different person.<br/>At school they know her as Rose - the cute, quiet girl who wouldn't hurt a fly.<br/>At the boxing arena downtown she's known as Scarlet - the best fighter in the county.<br/>She's taken down opponents twice her size without batting an eyelash. Her small size makes her hard to follow,  and her movements are often quick and unpredictable.<br/>She's managed to keep it a secret from everyone: her friends, the school administration, everyone except her trainer.<br/>But one night, and a pastor's stubborn son, may change everything.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Rose**

I walk into school, keeping my eyes on the floor. I know the way to my locker by heart, I don't need to look up.

Once I get there, I open my locker and put the contents of my bag inside and grab my books for my first class, English.

"Rose!" I hear my name being called, and I turn to see who called me. My best friend, May.

The short girl pushes through the crowd of other students to get to me, her long blonde hair flying around her face.

"Rose!" she calls again once she reaches me.

"What?" I ask, continuing to walk toward my English class.

"Did you get your assignment done?"

"Which one?"

"English, duh."

"Maybe. Why, did you?"

"No..." She looks at the ground, shuffling along beside me.

"May, you can't keep doing this. She's gonna catch on soon," I say, handing her my notebook with the completed assignment inside.

"I know, but cheerleading is just taking up so much of my time, I don't have any left to do these stupid writing assignments."

  
_It's not cheerleading, it's your boyfriend,_ I think to myself.

Don't get me wrong, he's a nice guy, but he's always with her. I'm surprised he's not -

"May, there you are!" Speak of the devil...

"I thought you'd left me for a second!"

"Oh no, I was just talking to Rose."

He looks at me for the first time since he walked up, and I shoot him a smile that feels more fake than it looks.

"Rose," he greets.

"Payne," I reply.

"Well, we should be getting to class. I'll see you next hour?" May says.

"Course you will." I turn and walk into the English classroom before I'm subjected to watching another love fest that they've become so famous for. Blech.

"Good morning, Rose," my teacher, Mrs. Hart, says with a smile. I know that I'm her favorite, even though she doesn't say so.

"Good morning," I reply, setting my things down at my desk in the front row.

As I wait for class to start, I draw little doodles in my planner, scribbling a few song lyrics around them.

May slides into her seat next to me just as the tardy bell rings, barely making it. She slides my notebook over to me, mouthing a thank you.

Mrs. Hart begins the lesson, another discussion about the book we're reading, _Of Mice and Men._ I've read it so many times I can quote it easily, but I still bring my school issued copy of the paperback to class so it doesn't look like I'm not paying attention.

I turn my homework in at the end of class, then walk out the door after the bell, making my way to my locker. I'm tired of school, it's not as much fun as it used to be. I long for the day to end so I can go home, then to the arena, where the real fun is.

"Rose! There you are!" Mr. Ford greets me as I walk into the history classroom. "I've been looking forward to reading your essay on the Civil War. You always write such well worded essays."

Alright, Mr. Ford isn't my favorite, but for some reason, he likes my writing. History passes quickly, a feat which I am grateful for.

I walk down to the library for my study hall period, grabbing my headphones from my locker, along with a couple books to read.

I find my seat in the corner and set my bag down, kicking my feet up on the table and turning on my music.

I read about half of the book I brought before the bell rings, and I grab my things and go to lunch.

The rest of the day passes quickly, the only homework assignment being for Biology. There's a group project coming up, and partners will be assigned at the end of the week. We're supposed to be brainstorming ideas of what we think we could do our projects on, so that when the groups are put together we can get to work faster.

I drive home in my beat up truck, parking in the overgrown gravel driveway of my beat up house. You'd think with all the money I make that a bit more of it would go into keeping the house looking better.

It's a small house, only one story tall. There's a kitchen/dining room area, one bedroom with a bathroom attached, a small living room, and one other bathroom. It's small, but it's home.

"Hey, I'm home!" I call, though I know no one will answer. They never do. They're gone.

Around five thirty, I climb back in my truck, gym bag thrown into the passenger seat, and drive down to the arena.

I park in my usual spot, in the 'employee' parking lot.

I find it funny how they call us employees, we don't actually work for anyone, we just make money. Lots of it.

I walk in through the back entrance, waving to Joe, the guy who tells us when our fight is up. I don't know if he actually has a title or not, I'll have to ask him.

"There's my girl!" I hear Rafael, my trainer, say. Soon his arm is slung over my shoulders as I walk down the hall and into the locker room that I call mine.

"Finish your homework?"

"Yes sir, every bit of it." Rafe's always been big on emphasizing that school comes before boxing, and he's probably the reason I hold the top spot academically in my class.

"Good. Now tonight you've got got a new guy. Calls himself The Hulk."

"Confident, isn't he?" I laugh. "How is he?"

Rafe starts telling me how this guy fights, what to watch for, and his weak points. Then he leaves so I can change and get prepared for my fight.

I pull out my red sports bra and matching red spandex shorts. These people take the Scarlet thing to the max.

I slide my normal clothes off, then put on my fighting clothes. I lace up my ankle braces, then put my shoes on, which, 'coincidentally,' are also red.

I grab the tape from my bag and begin taping my hands the way Rafe showed me, so I won't get injured.

There's a knock at my door.

"Miss Scarlet, you're up next."

"You should know by now Joe, I'm always fashionably late for a fight," I reply smoothly, wrapping the red tape around my hand.

"I should know, but you always tell me. So why bother remembering?"

 

**Niall**

"I can't believe he talked _you_ into this," I tell my friend Harry as we walk through the dark hallway behind the group of people from our church.

"I can't believe your _mother_ let you come along," he replies. "I would've thought she'd lock you in the house again like she did for the lady's guild meeting."

"Well, it's one of dad's projects, she likes when I help with those. Father - Son time and all," I say sarcastically. "Frankly, I'd rather be home, doing my homework."

My father is the pastor at our small church, and he's always volunteering me to help him on his projects. It's not always the funnest thing.

"Are you kidding? This is the chance of a lifetime! There's so many girls here, we might find one that actually likes you!"

"Haha, you're so funny."

He thinks that I need a girlfriend. He's been saying this for the past few months. The whole 'it's your senior year, you need to have some fun' trip.

I'm happy the way I am. Single. Alone. By myself. Ok, maybe a girlfriend isn't such a bad idea. But I don't _need_ one to be happy.

There's paint on the walls, with the names of who I assume are the people who fight here, in this underground arena.

I don't think it's illegal, but there are some things that probably happen here that are. Illegal, I mean.

Among the names are several brightly painted names, while others are darker, more sinister looking. One, however, catches my eye.

A deep red color, fitting the name it displays.

Scarlet.

It's not in a very prominent place on the wall, but it draws attention nonetheless. Surrounded by dark blues and greens, it stands out a little from the names near it.

There's a loud roar from what I think is the crowd, watching the fights in the ring.

"Scarlet! Scarlet!" they shout. Hmm... This Scarlet must be fighting. Can't hurt to look. I stand on my tiptoes, and catch a glimpse of an arm, a red taped hand hitting a face, then quickly retreating in defense. I can't see a whole person through the crowd between me and the ring.

"Niall! Come on!" Harry grips my arm, pulling me from the ring and toward the group we came with.

I see my father standing in the center of the small circle, saying something about what we plan to do here. I know that we're supposed to ask if we can talk to the boxers and ask if they want us to pray for them, or if they want, we can read some of the Gospel for them.

It's what we usually do when we go places. Evangelism. Fun stuff.

I'm horrible at talking to complete strangers, so I usually stick with Harry. He's got a gift, according to his mother.

Yeah. The gift of gab.

The crowd roars again, blocking out what my father is saying, and I wonder who won. Then the crowd starts milling out, some going home and others trying to get into the locker rooms to see their favorite fighter.

"It's a pity Scarlet never stays. I'd like to see the face that's hidden under that helmet," I hear a passerby say to his friend.

"Can't be much. Too scrawny to be too good looking," his friend says. "Good swing though."

Hmm... so Scarlet never stays. That means I won't get to see the face behind the name. Oh well, it was just curiosity.

"Harry, you and Niall can take the far hall. It's mostly younger people, around your age, so you would probably connect with them the best."

I nod, then follow Harry as he walks down the hall toward where the boxers are.

I see a hooded figure walking quickly toward us, a black bag slung over their shoulder.

As they pass me, our shoulders bump into each other.

"Hey, watch where you're going!" the person says. The voice is deep, but not too deep. It's somewhere in the middle, and I can't tell if the person is a man or woman.

"I'm terribly sorry," I call, turning to see if if I can see who it is. One red taped hand comes out from inside the long sleeve of the sweatshirt to steady their bag, and they keep walking.

I keep watching them until they turn the corner, then I turn back to Harry, jogging to catch up with him and his impossibly long legs.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Rose**

School the next day is boring, as usual. By lunchtime, I'm half asleep. 

"Rose!" 

I blink rapidly, fighting off the drowsiness. The crowd caused a huge traffic jam at the arena last night and I didn't get home till around eleven.

"What?"

"I've been saying your name for the past five minutes. Are you coming over tonight?" 

I sigh, shaking my head. 

"Sorry May. I have to work." 

"You always have to work," she complains, "why can't you have any fun?" 

"May, I gotta work to make money to be able to have fun," I tell her, giving my usual excuse.

"Alright. I'll just ask Liam if he can come over then," she sighs, as if it's her last resort. She'd probably rather spend time with Liam than me. Who knows what they do.

And I don't want her to get mixed up in the stuff that goes down in the arena. I don't want to put anyone through that. That's why I never tell anyone about it, why I never bring anyone to watch my fights. That's why I wear that stupid clunky helmet, and why I never stay after the matches are over. I keep the anonymous mysterious air, most people who come to watch me fight don't even know what I look like. 

I have to be careful what I say, what I do or don't do, my every move has to be carefully calculated. That's why when I heard that there would be people from a nearby church coming around to talk to the boxers after the last fight, I made sure sure to leave earlier than usual.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not against what they're doing, I just don't want to participate. I don't want them to see me and recognize me, or think I'm a charity case, or say that I need more Jesus in my life. I'm doing fine just the way I am, and I hope it will stay that way. 

By the time five thirty rolls around, I've taken a nap, done my homework,  and washed the small pile of dishes that was taking up most of the counter in my small kitchen.

I pull into my spot and walk inside, nodding at Joe and looking around for Rafe. I find him in the coaches room, talking to one of the other boxers' coaches. 

Once he sees me, he excuses himself and comes out to walk with me to the locker room, asking me how my day went and telling me about tonight's opponent.

Then he leaves again, and within ten minutes there's a knock at the door.

"Miss Scarlet, there's someone here to see you," I hear Joe's voice say through the door.

"I'm not expecting anyone. Tell them to come back later," I say, pulling my shorts on.

Probably some guy who wants to know what I look like. There's been people who slide notes under the door, asking for pictures and stuff like that. Sick bastards. 

I know it's obvious that I'm a girl, but I want the same respect that the guys get, I don't want to be treated like some rag doll. I'm here to fight, not get my face plastered all over the newspaper.

"Just come back later, she'll probably be here after her fight," I hear Joe say.

"But Scarlet never stays," the person complains. "This is probably the only chance I'll get." 

Hmm. It's a guy, an Irish one from the sound of his voice. Nope. I'm not coming out until he's gone.

I can hear him arguing with Joe as they walk away, getting further and further down the hall. Thank fuck. 

A few minutes later there's another knock.

"Sorry about that, Miss Scarlet,  he's gone now."

"Thank you Joe." 

"And you're up next." 

Here we go again.

 

**Niall**

"Come on, man!" I plead with the guy. "I'm just trying to spread the good news!"

"I'm sorry sir, Miss Scarlet doesn't like to be seen. And she's going to the ring soon, so you wouldn't have had time to talk to her anyway."

"But-" 

"I'm sorry sir, but if you keep causing trouble,  I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

I sigh. Getting kicked out probably won't go well with my father. 

"Alright. Thank you for trying to get me in," I say. Joe nods, then I turn and walk back to the stands, where I left Harry.

"Ni, mate, this is awesome! How did you get your dad to let you come back here?" he asks as I sit down next to him. We're the only ones here from our group tonight, as it's bingo night down at the church.

"I said I was going to 'evangelize'," I tell him, holding up my bible. Scarlet was the only one we didn't get to talk to yesterday, so my dad was more than happy to hear about us going back to try and see her.

"Any luck getting in to see Scarlet?" I shake my head. 

"Told me to come back later. After her fight."

"But doesn't she not stay?" 

"That's what I've heard."

The next fight must be soon, there's a huge group gathered around the ropes that fence in the ring. At least I can see the ring tonight.

"Llllllladies aaaand gentlemen! Welcome to another night of the best fighters in the county!"

The crowd cheers so loudly that he announcer has to wait before continuing.

"In this corner, weighing in at two forty three, LouLou!" 

The guy steps into the ring, ducking through the ropes. He's well built, flexing his arms at the crowd of girls that stand by his corner of the ring.

"And your reigning champion, weighing in at one thirty two, Scarlet!"

 The crowd literally screams. Everyone. I have to cover my ears, it's so loud. But at least I can see Scarlet this time. 

She wears a helmet, like that guy said, so I can't see her face, but I can see the rest of her. _Wow_.

She's got almost no clothes on. Just a sports bra and a pair of tight shorts. She's pretty fit though. Not scrawny at all.

She walks to the center, where the other guy is standing, and my jaw drops. She's not even half as big as he is! There's no way this is fair. Her head barely comes up to his shoulder.

The two opponents bump their taped hands together, then begin circling each other. I can see the guy's mouth moving, and I assume he's talking to Scarlet, but I can't hear him, nor can I see her face to be able to see if she's replying.

I blink, and when I open my eyes again, I see the guy's head jerk backward. She must have hit him. When he gets his bearings again, his face is red. He must be angry.

He charges toward Scarlet, swinging at her. She doesn't move, not until he's right in front of her. She lands a hard jab to his stomach, sending him sprawling backward. Then she springs forward, jumping on top of him, falling with him onto the floor of the ring. 

He struggles underneath her, and manages to land a few hits on her arms, but she soon has him pinned on his stomach while she sits on his back, twisting one arm up behind him. 

The bell sounds, and everyone cheers. As if they weren't doing that already. Scarlet stands, and the ref holds up her arm to say that she's the winner. 

Then it's over, and everyone starts to stand and make their way toward the door.

"Come on, Harry!  Maybe we can catch her in the hallway!" I say, jumping up from my seat and beginning the descent, keeping my eyes on the helmet that's making its way through the crowd and out the door. 

By the time we get to the floor, Scarlet's already through the door and in the hall. I grab Harry's arm and begin weaving through the crowd, my goal to reach the door.


	3. Chapter 3

**Rose**

As I walk out the door and down the hall, taking as large of steps as I can, all I can think of is that I have to be gone before that guy comes back.

"Scarlet!" a voice calls from the end of the hallway. It's him. No, not now. I'm almost safe. Just a few more steps...

I'm about to grab the door handle when he's right behind me.

"Can... can I talk to you? Please?"

"No. I have places I have to be," I say, trying to make my voice sound older. I turn the handle and slide in, quickly shutting the door and locking it behind me.

"Can I talk through the door?" he asks. This one sure is persistent...

"What about?" Maybe I can pretend to listen while I change.

"Umm... Jesus?" Even he sounds unsure. Unlike me.

"No."

"Please?"

"No. Go home." By now I've pulled my sweats on, and shrugged my hoodie on. Why can't I have a back door to my locker room? I'll have to bug Rafe about that.

"But... please?" He's still here? Well, I can't wait until he gets tired and leaves. I have to get home. It's nearly ten thirty. I need my sleep for school tomorrow.

I pull my hood up, so it covers most of my face. I put my clunky helmet into my bag, and zip it closed.

It's now or never I guess. I pull the hood even farther down and turn the door handle, walking out and down the hall without looking to see if he's still there.

"Wait! Scarlet!" Good grief, this guy is annoying. Are they all like this?

"I told you, go home. People like you don't belong here," I say, hoping he won't take it the wrong way. I mean that there's really no helping the people here. Jesus can't save us, no one can. That's why we're here. There were no other options for us.

I can hear him walking behind me, not where I can see him, but close enough that I can feel the hair on the back of my neck stand up in irritation.

"Can I at least talk to you while we're walking?"

I sigh. "You already are. And no."

This time he sighs. "Why are you being so difficult?"

I laugh harshly. "I could ask you the same thing."

I reach the pay window, and slide my hand in through the slot. I never have to say my name to the people inside, because I'm the only one that uses red tape.

Soon the stack of bills that is my winnings is put into my hand, and I shove it into my bag, continuing on my way. I'll count it when I get home.

He's still following me, I can hear his footsteps. But he isn't saying anything now.

"You know, you probably aren't supposed to be back here," I call back to him.

"I know." Alright, we got a rule breaker here. This is probably the worst thing he's ever done.

"So why are you?" That question was kind of rhetorical, I'm at the door and I don't plan to stick around for his answer.

"Because everyone deserves a chance."

His words make me stop, my hand in the process of turning the door handle.

_Everyone deserves a chance._

I can't think straight for a second. I can't come up with a reply. So instead of talking, I just open the door and walk through, letting it close behind me.

He doesn't follow.

 

**Niall**

I watch the door close, staying where I am. Why is she against talking? I didn't ask to see her face, or for her to tell me anything, I only wanted her to listen. I would have done most of the talking.

I knew I'd hit a nerve when I said everyone deserves a chance. I don't even know where that came from. Maybe it's the Pastor's Kid thing I've got going.

But if she gave pause to that, why didn't she want to talk, or ask why?

Ugh! Why are girls so frustrating? The guys were nice to us yesterday. They were open to the idea of having the Gospel read to them. We even had a group prayer.

But Scarlet, she just shuts me out. I thought girls were into talking: about feelings, boys, just talking. Why are they all so complicated?

"Ni?" I turn to see Harry standing behind me. "You coming? They're about to lock the doors."

I sigh. "Yeah, I'm coming."

As we walk down the hall toward the door, he asks,

"Any luck?"

I shake my head. "Nope. She didn't want me to talk to her at all. I don't understand it Harry. Why are girls so complicated?"

"They're girls. That's how God made them," he replies.

Well, this just sucks.

"Are you gonna try again tomorrow?" he asks.

In that moment, I make a choice that will probably change my life.

"You know what? I am."

 

The next day, I walk into school alone, weaving my way through the crowd of students to get to my locker.

I quickly grab my calculus book, then close my locker, making my way to my first class of the day.

I find my seat in the middle of the classroom, and sit down, awaiting another boring lesson.

Miraculously, I make it through most of the day without falling asleep in class. I'm on my way out to the parking lot to drive home when I run into someone, making both of us drop our bags.

"I'm sorry! I didn't see you!" the other person says, obviously a girl.

"No, it's my fault. I wasn't watching where I was going. I'm sorry," I say, crouching down to pick up my scattered notebooks. Of course the _one_ day I _don't_ zip up my backpack, I run into someone and drop it.

"Well, maybe it it was both of our faults," she says. I stand, and look at her for the first time.

She has long, dark hair, matching her eyes. She's not very tall, about a head shorter than me. She's absolutely gorgeous.

"Maybe it is," I agree. "Either way, I'm sorry."

"It's alright." She tilts her head to the side. "Don't I know you from somewhere?"

"Umm... maybe? We go to the same school," I say, making her laugh.

"No, it's not that... are you in 7th hour biology?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Oh yeah! You're that guy who sits in the middle and always taps his pencil whenever we take a test!"

I shrug. "You got me. It's a nervous habit. Aren't you that girl who sits in the front and gets perfect grades on everything?"

She waves me off, saying, "not everything."

I stick my hand out for her to shake.

"Niall."

She takes my hand.

"Rose."


	4. Chapter 4

**Rose**

I make it home around three thirty, tossing my school bag onto the worn couch in the living room before sitting down next to it. 

I sit in silence, just thinking. I'm not sure, but I think that Niall guy is pretty nice. And he's kinda cute.

After I apologized several more times for running into him, he walked me to my truck, and we went our separate ways. I bet he has a nice family to come home to. Unlike me, who comes home to an empty house all the time. 

I decide to tidy up my little house. I don't have homework, and I need something to do. I run the vacuum, wash the mirrors, and sort out the pile of papers on my desk. 

By the time I finish, it's time to go.

My opponent is another easy one to beat. Rafe's been trying to get me easier fights during the week, and one that's actually challenging on Fridays. 

When I walk back to my locker room after another easy victory, there's someone leaning against the wall outside the door. 

"Scarlet!" This guy just doesn't give up, does he? 

I don't look at him, I just walk through the door, locking it behind me. 

"I'm going to talk to you, whether you like it or not!" he shouts through the door.

"Have fun talking to yourself then!" I shoot back, pulling my sweats up my legs and putting on my hoodie as he rambles about something.

I throw my helmet into my bag, and pull my hood over my face, then walk through the door. 

"Please, just listen!" he says, sounding exasperated. I'm not one for starting fights outside the ring, but if this guy goes any farther...

I feel his hand on my shoulder, and I whip around, dropping my bag and raising my fist as I grab a handful of the front of his shirt, not noticing that my hood falls down in the process.

"Listen buddy..."

"Rose?" 

I blink, recognizing the face in front of me. The bright blue eyes.

"Niall?" 

"Rose? What are you doing-?" I clamp my hand over his mouth, looking around to make sure no one heard him.

"Shut up!" I harshly whisper, dragging him into my locker room. 

Once the door closes, I let him go.

"What the _hell_? Why are you here?" I ask, pacing back and forth as he sits on the chair. My chair.

"Why am _I_ here? Why are _you_ here?" he counters, cringing at my swearing. 

"I fight here."

"Obviously," he says, gesturing to my taped hands. 

"Why the fuck are you here?" I ask again, enunciating every syllable as I cross my arms. He cringes again.

He holds up a worn leather book. 

"Evangelism."

I furrow my eyebrows. "What the hell is _that_?" I ask. "Nevermind. Just don't ever say anything about this, and don't _ever_ come back."

"But Rose," he starts.

"No. People like you don't belong here. There's nothing for you to do here. Just let us go to Hell in peace."

"Rose," he starts again.

"Dammit, don't call me that!" I shout, slamming my fist into one of the walls. The drywall cracks under my fist, and even though my fist hurts more than I'll ever let on, I keep it there against the wall.

"Everyone deserves a chance," he says quietly, getting up and walking over to me.

I tense when his hand rests on my shoulder again. 

"Can I see your hand?" 

"No," I say stubbornly, pulling away from the wall and him, holding my hand close to my chest and walking back to the door. 

"Wait - " he calls. Something in his voice makes me stop. "Can I please see your hand? You might have hurt it."

I slowly flex my hand, feeling the soreness in my knuckles.

"Shit," I quietly mutter, wincing. I'm screwed. I write with this hand.

"See? Let me help you," Niall says, suddenly right next to me.

"It's fine."

"No, it's not. I bet if you take that tape off it'll be purple. Come on, I know what to do." 

I sigh. I don't know how to fix it myself. 

I begrudgingly hold out my hand, letting Niall take it and look at it. He pulls at the tape covering most of my hand, and I draw in a breath through my teeth.

When the tape is gone, I can see that my hand really is purple. And I'm bleeding. Great.

"Do you have any bandages?" Niall asks. 

I nod. "In the cabinet." I point to the wooden cabinet hung on the wall where I keep my medical stuff. Not that I've ever had to use it before. He walks away, coming back seconds later with a bottle, some ointment, and a roll of cotton bandage. 

"Sit," he orders. I roll my eyes, but hop up onto the padded bench. 

He opens the bottle, pulling a gauze pad from his pocket. He soaks the gauze with whatever in the bottle, then dabs it on my hand. I yank my hand back, muttering a few choice words. That hurts.

"Come on," he coaxes, pulling my hand back toward him and dabbing the gauze over my cuts again, this time holding firmly onto my wrist so I can't pull away. 

Once that form of torture is over, he grabs an ointment and smears it over my busted knuckles. I can tell he's trying to be gentle and not hurt me, but he's not doing the best job.

After he sufficiently smears enough stuff on my hand, he grabs the bandage, wrapping it around my hand.

Out of curiosity, I look up at him, watching his face. 

His eyebrows are furrowed in concentration, his bottom lip between his teeth. His cheeks turn a little pinker as he notices me staring at him. 

"There. Done," he says, letting go of my hand. I turn it over, looking at the bandage. It's wrapped pretty well, I must admit.

"Thank you," I say quietly. 

"You're welcome," he replies, standing in front of me, his hands in his pockets.

"I um... I won't tell anyone," he says quietly. 

"Thank you."

We stay in silence for a minute, not knowing what to say.

"You should... um... probably put some ice on that when you get home," he adds. I nod. 

"Okay." 

I don't want him to think I'm a jerk. But I don't want him to keep coming back here. It's not a place people like him should be. Nice people don't belong in a place with so much bad.

"I'm... I'm sorry. About earlier. I just... I don't want people to know who I am," I say, my voice soft.

"It's alright. I understand," he replies, his voice equally as soft as mine. "All I've heard about the entire three times I've been here is how Scarlet is the best, and no one knows what she looks like. I can understand wanting to keep that going." 

"I'm not the best," I deny, lightly shoving his shoulder. "I just win a lot."

"Yeah, like, every fight," he says. I look back up at him and see him smiling. "So, can I come back tomorrow?"

I feel my smile fade, and I look away.

"You shouldn't come here."

"I know, people like me don't belong here, right?" he quips, using my words from earlier. "People who aren't fighters, who don't have a good way to defend themselves -"

"No, I didn't mean it like that," I say, "I just meant that people like you, nice people, don't belong here. There's nothing but jackasses and whores here, people who don't have any other options, because the rest of the world won't take us as we are."

"Are you?" he asks.

"Am I what?"

"A... whore." He pauses before saying it, as if he hasn't said the word before. 

"No. I am not. I am a lady, thank you very much." I cross my arms over my chest, careful not to squish my injured hand. 

He laughs, actually laughs at me.

"Excuse you? What's so funny?"

"You... just the way you said it."

"Yeah, well-" 

Out of nowhere, Niall's phone starts ringing, and he pulls it from his pocket.

"What Haz?" The person on the other end says something, and he pulls the phone from his ear, looking at at the screen.

"Oh goodness! It's nearly ten! I have to go home! My dad's gonna kill me!" His face is panicked.

"How'd you get to come down here anyway?" 

"I was with the church group that came a few days ago, and I kept coming back because you were the only one we didn't get to talk to. You know... cause you left early." He grabs his book off of the chair and walks to the door. 

"Well now you've talked to me. Your job is done." He makes a face at that, but continues anyway. 

"Well, I guess I'll see you at school then?"

"Yeah. I'll be there."

 

**Niall**

 

I know she won't like this. So why am I doing it? She's gonna flip a lid, like yesterday. 

I will admit, that outburst scared me. If she can make a hole in a wall, imagine what she could do to my face. 

But she won't. She has more self control than that. I hope. 

I hear her footsteps in the empty hallway, and take a deep breath as the door handle turns.

She steps in, closing the door and pulling her helmet off, revealing her beautiful face. It's almost a perfect moment.

Then she sees me.

"What the hell Niall?" she whispers harshly. "I told you not to come back!"

"I um... wanted to make sure your hand was alright. And I didn't want to ask you at school, cause I said I wouldn't say anything," I tell her quietly. That's not the real reason. I wanted to see her again. There's just something about her that intrigues me. 

"It's fine. Don't worry about it," she mutters. I raise an eyebrow. 

"Is it? You kept hitting with your other hand tonight."

"Ugh, fine. It's sore. Happy?" she snaps, yanking a pair of sweatpants from her bag.

"Can I see it?"

She sighs. "Will that make you go away?"

"Maybe." Does she really not like me that much? 

"Fine. Here." 

She sticks her hand in front of me. I grab ahold of it, then pull the tape off, glancing up at her face, trying to gauge how much it hurts by her expression. 

She winces a couple times, but holds back from showing how bad it really is. She keeps biting her lip and taking deep breaths.

Once the tape is gone, I look carefully at her hand. It's still purple, but not quite as bad as yesterday. The cuts are starting to heal, and it just looks better than before.

"It's healing..." I tell her.

"Really? I couldn't tell," she says sarcastically. 

"Rose..." I warn. "You should take some time and let that heal for awhile."

"Well, I can't take a break until Friday. Then it'll have the whole weekend."

"Are you sure that's a good idea? That's two days away and-"

"I know." She pulls her hand away, walking over to her bag and tugging her sweats up her legs. She pulls her hoodie from her bag, then shrugs it on, wincing when her hand gets stuck in the long sleeve. 

"Here, let me help you," I say, moving behind her, but she quickly turns away.

"I'm not a baby, Horan. I can take care of myself."

"Alright," I say, holding my hands up in surrender. 

"I'm leaving. Don't be here when I come back." 

She picks up her bag, pulls her hood over her face, and walks out the door.

"Rose, wait!" I call. She whips around, glaring at me.

"Don't fucking call me Rose!" she whispers harshly. I quickly realize my mistake.

"Sorry! But wait for me!"

I jog after her, finding it tough to keep up as I follow her down the hall, despite the fact that her legs are quite a bit shorter than mine. 

"You shouldn't be back here," she mutters.

"I know."

She sticks her hand into the pay window again, pulling it back once a few hundreds are placed into it. She shoves the money into her bag, then resumes walking.

"Scarlet!" I hear someone call.

She turns around, smiling when she sees who it is.

"Hey!"

A tall, young looking guy walks over, slinging an arm over her shoulders.

"How's my girl after another big win?"

Wait, _his_ girl? What's happening? Who is this?

"Who's this guy?" he asks, talking about me. 

"This is Niall," she says, still smiling. Why is she smiling so much? 

"I'm Rafael," he says, holding out his hand for me to shake. "I'm Scarlet's..." for some reason I don't want him to say boyfriend... "trainer."

Thank God. Wait - what?

I smile, a real smile, and shake his hand. 

"It's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too," he replies. Then he turns to Rose. "You didn't tell me you had a boyfriend."

The look on her face goes from happy to completely shocked.

"Uh.. no. We... we aren't-" she stutters, her face turning red.

"I'm just messing with you. Calm down," he laughs. "Have a good night. Make sure you're here early tomorrow."

"Yes sir," she replies, saluting him. He laughs, then walks away. When I turn to follow Rose, she's already at the door, about to walk outside.

"Hey! Wait up!" I call. She stops at the door, and I jog over.

"Can we talk?" 

She sighs again, her shoulders sagging.

"Why?"

"I just - I don't think you should be doing this."

"Don't even. This is my job, and I'm damn good at it. I'm not quitting." With that, she turns and walks out the door, leaving me alone in the hallway again.


	5. Chapter 5

**Rose**

I walk into Biology the next day, and sit in my usual seat.

Out of the corner of my eye I see someone take the seat next to me. I don't have to look over to know that it's Niall.

He doesn't say anything, he just takes out his notebook and pencil and starts copying the notes from the board.

About halfway through the lesson, a white sheet of paper slides across the desk, with one line of writing at the top.

_**You should stop**._

I sigh, knowing what he's referring to, then underline the first word and send it back. It returns a few seconds later, another line written on it.

_**You could get hurt. Please.** _

  
_**No.**_ I write back. I can't stop. I don't want to.

He sighs, a bit too loudly.

"Mr. Horan, do you have anything to add to the discussion?" The teacher says, his voice loud.

"No sir," Niall replies quickly.

"Then be quiet. As I was saying, I will assign the groups for this project, and you will have two weeks to complete it."

He reads off the list of names, and as my friends are paired with other people, I begin to get nervous.

"Rose and... Niall."

No. This isn't gonna work. Never.

"So... my house or yours?" he asks.

"Not mine," I reply instantly. If he sees my house, it'll give him more reason to bother me.

"Alright. What time?"

"Before four."

"Do you want to just follow me home?"

"Sure." It'll be easier that way. We'll get done faster.

The bell rings, and I gather my things, quickly walking out of the room and down the hall to my locker.

Once I have all my homework, I shut my locker and turn around to find Niall already waiting for me.

"You ready?" he asks.

I nod, and we turn to walk out the doors.

I see May and she raises an eyebrow at us. I shake my head quickly, not wanting her to get the wrong idea. That is not happening.

Once we get to the parking lot, we part ways to get into our vehicles.

I climb into my rusty pickup truck and start the engine, giving it a moment to calm down before shifting into drive.

I follow his new-looking car out of the parking lot, and down several streets before he turns into a driveway. I park across the street, grab my things, and walk over.

"So, this is my house."

I gape at the huge building in front of me. It's at least three times the size of my house, and that's not counting the enormous garage.

"My mom's a lawyer. She makes a lot of money."

"I can see that."

He holds the door open for me, and as I walk in, I'm even more amazed at what I see. A huge front hall, with at least seven doors and hallways leading off of it, and completely white carpet covering the floors.

I kick my boots off once I see Niall take off his shoes, and am almost afraid to walk on the carpet. I'm scared to get it dirty.

I follow him though a few hallways, and up some stairs.

"I thought we could work in my room, since all my stuff's in there anyway."

"Okay..." I answer, in a daze from looking at all the decorations on the walls. This house is huge.

He leads me into what has to be his room. It's incredibly tidy for a guy's room.

"I cleaned it yesterday. My grandma's s'posed to be coming tomorrow," he explains. I nod, still looking around. He's got posters everywhere.

"So I was thinking that one of us could look things up while the other writes them down, then we could put it all together on paper, then type it."

"You think a lot. But that sounds like a good idea. Who's doing what?"

"What do you want to do?" Sleep. Take a nice, hot bath.

"I don't care. But I've probably got neater handwriting than you."

"But... your hand..."

"I have two hands, Horan. I'll be fine."

"Alright, then you can write and I'll look things up."

He pulls a laptop from his bag, then sits on his bed, opening the laptop and turning it on. I sit down at the desk, taking out my notebook and a pen, ready to write.

After about an hour, I've got twenty pages of notes, enough to write three papers, and cramped muscles in my hand. It's not used to writing this much.

"I think we're good on facts," I tell Niall, making him look up at me. I hold up my notes, and his eyes widen.

"Sorry, I didn't know you had that much. Do you want to start writing the paper now or later?"

I pull my phone out to check the time.

"Later. I have to go." I stand, grabbing my notebook and shoving it into my bag.

As I walk out the door, Niall follows me.

"I can find my own way out," I grumble once he almost trips over my heels. He's following too close.

"I know, I'm just being nice."

We reach the front door, and he gently wraps his hand around my arm, preventing me from leaving.

"You know, you don't have to go. You could stay," he says.

I shake my head, pulling my arm from his grip.

"No, I have to go."

"I mean, you don't have to go fight." This gets me angry.

"When are you going to give this up? I'm not going to stop just because some random guy shows up at one of my fights and then tells me to stop fighting. I'll stop when I'm damn good and ready." He just looks at me, a defeated expression on his face.

"Alright. I'll see you tomorrow then? At school?"

"Yes, you will." He gives me a small smile, then I turn to open the door, and leave.

 

  **Niall**  


 

As I watch her walk across the street to her truck, I can't help the feeling that I've failed. I don't know how to get her to stop. And she's so stubborn. Which doesn't help.

 It's dangerous for her to be fighting against guys that big. She could get seriously hurt, or worse. I just don't know what to do.

 Her hand isn't that big of a deal, but who knows what could get hurt next.

 At exactly five thirty, the door opens, and I know my father is home.

 "Niall?" Yep. He's home.

 "What Dad?" I ask, walking out of my room and down the hall to find him in his study.

 "Did you get to talk to that Scarlet down at the arena?"

 "Yes, I did." She turned out to be this girl from school that I thought was nice, and she told me to never come back, and she swears a lot, and she's really pretty...

 "How did that go?"

 "Well, not so good."

 "Oh? What happened?" He looks up from his papers, giving me his full attention.

 "She wasn't so nice. Kind of yelled at me."

 "Oh. Well, do you think you could get through to her if you visited again?" Wait... he's giving me the option to go back? And see Rose again? Yes!

 "Maybe. I'm not really sure. I can try."

 "All right. You have permission to go back, but be careful. There's some bad things that go on there that I don't want you involved in."

 I nod. "Yeah. I'll be careful."

 He nods, then goes back to work. I go back to my room and wait for my mother to tell me that supper is ready.

 *****

 One Week Later...

 "Niall, get out of here!" Rose shouts at me from inside the ring. She's fighting a guy three or four times her size, with green paint smeared all over himself. Unlike her usual style, she isn't wearing her helmet, and she's left her hair down.

 "But-" I protest.

 "No! Leave! You're gonna get hurt!"

 Her opponent lands a hit on the back of her shoulder, knocking her down. Then he steps on her back, grabbing her arm and pulling it back. Her face twists into a grimace as the audible pop of her shoulder dislocating is heard.

 "Rose! No!" I shout, trying to get to her.

 I feel hands on my arms, pulling me away. I kick and yell, but nothing does me any good. They drag me down a dark hallway, not stopping no matter how much I protest.

 *****

 "No!" I sit up in bed, sweat dripping from my face. I blink rapidly, trying to clear the image of a tortured Rose from my mind.

 She's fine. She's fine. She's fine.

 Why am I dreaming about Rose? I know I've been thinking about her a lot, spending a lot of time with her, but dreaming about her? I don't know what's happening.

 But I do know that I'm really worried right now. And I can't call her to see if she's alright, it's the middle of the night, she'll be asleep. And I don't have her number. And I can't have my phone in my room at night because my father doesn't want me to stay up late.

I guess I'll see her in school tomorrow.

Wait. What if she isn't in school tomorrow? What if she really did get hurt at her fight? What if she's in the hospital right now?

Ok Niall, calm down. She knows what she's doing. She said it herself, she's ... good at what she does.

She's a lot different than I thought she was. She swears so much... I don't know if I like that. But she is really pretty. Not that that makes up for the swearing, but... yeah.

Not that I like her or anything. She's way out of my league. She's probably got a boyfriend. I bet he's some big thug that fights down at the arena with her.

I wonder what her life at home is like. What her parents are like. What her house looks like.

I fall back onto my pillows, wondering if I'll ever know the answers to my questions.

 

I walk into school the next day, my eyes scanning the halls for Rose. I don't see her at first, but then the crowd seems to part, and I catch a glimpse of her long hair. She's alright. Phew. Now I can relax. Not that I was worrying or anything. It's just... ok, I was worried.

I guess while we've been working on this project, I may or may not have become a little attached to Rose. I've gotten into the habit of wandering into her locker room down at the arena to talk to her, but she never actually lets me say anything about what I told my father I'd talk to her about. We talk about how our days went, what we think of the weather, stuff like that.

Long story short, she's not big on sharing.

And I still haven't seen her house. We always go to my house or the library to work on our project. Which is coming along nicely, might I add. I've been doing better on my assignments in Biology than I have been, and Rose says that it's because I sit in the front with her now.

"Hey! Rose!" I call. She turns, then her lips slide into that cute half smile that she has.

"Hey Niall," she greets once I get to her. "Are we still going to your house after school today?"

The thing about Rose is that she's always polite, no swearing at all whenever we're in public, but as soon as we get somewhere that there aren't people that she sees normally, she suddenly has the mouth of a sailor.

It's the worst when she's at the arena. Some days every other word out of her mouth is a word my father would have taken me over his knee if I said. If I had the nerve to start a swear jar, I would be able to buy a new car within a few days.

"Um... actually we can't. My mom's having some friends over," I reply. There's a lady's guild meeting tonight, and my mother agreed to host it. I hope we're still going to work on the project, I don't want to spend another evening locked in my room.

"Oh, okay. So we'll go to the library?"

"Um, actually the library's closed this week. Something about putting in new carpet," I tell her. The librarian told us about the closing last Tuesday, when we were there last.

"Oh yeah." She looks down.

"Maybeeee... we could, I don't know... go to your house?" I suggest.

She shakes her head. "No, that's - that's not a good idea."

"Why not?"

"Because... I haven't .... cleaned in a while. Yeah, it's really messy everywhere. You don't want to see it."

"Rose, I live in a mess. I think I can handle it." It's true. Unless I have to, I don't ever clean my room.

"I don't know... it's not the fanciest house..." she keeps her eyes on the floor.

"Is that what this is about? That your house isn't as fancy as mine?" Wow, that sounds mean.

"I mean, it's not..." she starts.

"Rose. It's alright." I assure her.

She sighs. "I guess we can go to my house," she mumbles.

"Okay. Do you think I could follow you there? Cause I have no clue where you live."

She nods. Then the bell rings, letting everyone know that there's five minutes left before class starts.

"Well, I'll see you in Biology," I say. She nods, and walks to her first class.

 

After an awkward hour of sitting next to an unresponsive Rose, I'm in my car, following her through a neighborhood of small, broken down houses and shady looking characters.

We drive until we get to the outskirts of town, and she pulls into the driveway of a very small gray house, it can't be more than half the size of my parent's garage, with blue shutters and a green door.

I park behind her, then climb out of my car as she walks back toward me.

"Well, this is it," she says. She won't look at me, as if she's ashamed of her home.

"Rose," I start, not really knowing what to say. "It's... cute."

"Cute?" she asks. I can hear the eye roll. "That's the best you can come up with? It's alright, you can say it looks like something out of a horror movie. It's fine with me."

"No, seriously. It's cute. I like the door."

"Well, if you like the door, you should see what's behind it," she says sarcastically, starting to walk toward the door as she pulls a set of keys from her bag.

The steps creak under my weight, to the point where I think they might break, but they miraculously hold. The door makes an awful screech when Rose opens it, and the floorboards groan when we walk inside.

The inside is beautiful. Especially compared to the outside. It seems like it's well taken care of, even though everything seems old and worn. There can't be more than five rooms in here. But it's cute. Small, but cute. I won't get lost at least.

"Well, this is where I live. The bathroom is through here, food's over there," she says, pointing first to her left, then to her right. "Um... there's a desk in my room, you wanna work in there?"

"Sure," I say, my eyes on a picture on the wall. A younger version of Rose smiles back at me, a man and a woman who look similar to her standing behind her as she plays in the sprinkler. "Are these your parents?"

"Yeah." She walks into what I assume is her room, and I follow her.

"Are your parents here?"

"No."

She starts to lay out papers on her bed, putting them in order for how we're going to write the paper part of the project. I get my part of the research out, handing it to her and letting her put it in order.

"Where are they?" I ask, curious.

"Not here."

"Well, obviou-"

"Drop it, Horan," she growls. There are times when I forget that she's the best boxer in the county, but she always find a way to remind me. Like now.

"So what do we have left to do?" I ask, changing the subject. She visibly relaxes, and begins telling me what there is left, and we figure out who can do what, and then start on some of it.

It's four thirty when I check my phone, and I ask, "do you have to go anywhere tonight?"

She shakes her head. "I've got until Thursday off," she says from her spot on the floor at the foot of her bed.

"You get time off?" I ask. I thought fighting was a full time thing.

She nods. "Yeah. I get one week off every month. Can you hand me that pen behind you?"

I grab the pen from the desk, and hand it to her.

"Does this mean we're going to work longer than usual?" she asks.

"If you want. I just have to let my parents know." She shrugs.

"Whatever you want. Doesn't matter to me."

"Well, when will your parents be home?"

"Doesn't matter." Why doesn't she want to talk about her parents? Does she not like them?

"Alright... is eight an okay time?" I ask, pulling out my phone to text my mother.

She nods, then stands from her spot on the floor.

"I'm gonna go get something to eat," she says quietly, then walks out the door.

I text my mother, and she quickly texts back, letting me know that it's alright, and telling me to make sure I eat a good supper.

After about five minutes, Rose hasn't come back, so I get up and go look for her.

As soon as I walk out the door of her room, I hear sniffling. I follow the sad sound and find Rose in the kitchen, her elbows on the counter as she cries into her arms.

"Rose?"


	6. Chapter 6

**Rose**

I can't hold it in anymore. It's too much. I walk out, telling Niall that I'm going to get something to eat when in reality, I'm going to go fall apart for a little while. 

I get to the kitchen, the farthest away I can get from my room in this tiny house, and let the tears flow. I haven't cried in so long, I don't remember what it's like. But I do know that I don't like it. I still don't like it.

I feel like I can't hold myself up anymore. I lean on the counter, trying to stay mostly upright. It's a good thing I'm not wearing makeup today, otherwise it would be all over my face right now.

"Rose?" I hear Niall's voice call. Shit. He heard me. "Are you alright?"

I immediately feel his hands on my shoulders, pulling me up so he can see my face. I try to take deep breaths and calm myself down, but only end up making it worse.

"I - I'm fine," I choke out, my voice cracking. He looks confused as he shakes his head.

"You don't look fine, Rose. You're crying."

I try to hold in another sob, but it slips out. He winces, as if me crying hurts him, and pulls me into his chest. I don't even try to fight it, I just wrap my arms around him, trying to calm myself down.

"It's okay Rose. Let it out," he says softly. I begin sobbing again, and he lets me. He lets me cry into him, he lets me soak his shirt with my tears. He doesn't say anything, he just rocks us side to side, rubbing my back.

I'm not going to deny it, over the past week I've developed a sort of fondness for this stubborn Irish lad. I miss him when he isn't around, and I've caught myself, at least twice, scanning the crowd for his now familiar smile.

I feel as if I can trust him. He's always so open with me, even when I shut myself off and put my walls up. Maybe that's what makes me speak up.

"They're dead. That's why they aren't here," I mumble into his shirt.

"What?" he asks, leaning down so he can hear me better.

"My parents are dead."

He gasps. "I'm so sorry Rose, I didn't know, otherwise I wouldn't have asked."

"It's okay. You didn't know," I sniffle.

"What happened? You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"Car crash. I was sixteen. They were coming to get me from school so we could go have a family dinner. Couldn't afford the operation that would have saved them. They didn't... they didn't get a chance."

"Oh Rose..." he coos. "So you live here by yourself?"

I nod. "It's alright. It just gets really quiet."

He doesn't say anything else, he just holds me.

"Do you want me to leave?" he asks after about ten minutes. I shake my head.

"No. Please stay."

"Okay. I'll stay."

About half an hour later, we're back in my room, sitting on my bed. Niall is still holding me, and I'm more or less sitting in his lap. He's talking about some trip he and his friend Harry took to the zoo last week. Apparently the giraffes were making fun of him.

"Rose?" he asks.

"Hmm?" I hum, my head on his shoulder.

"I know this isn't a good time, but-"

"Alright, don't start a sentence like that. It makes people not want to hear the rest of it," I say. "Just saying. Continue."

"Oh. Well, I um... I..." he stumbles over his words, unable to say what he wants to.

"You what?" I ask, turning in his hold to face him. He looks stressed, as if what he's going to say is important.

He sighs. "I'm hungry," he finally says, looking down.

"You want something to eat?" I ask. He nods sheepishly. "It's okay Ni. I won't kill you for eating my food. You want me to make you something or -"

"You don't have to," he starts. "But I don't know where anything's at, so I can't do it myself."

I laugh. "Come on then, let's go find something to eat."

We end up making sandwiches, and after that it's eight and Niall has to leave. I wave goodbye as he pulls out of the driveway, then turn back to my empty house.

 

  **Niall**  


 

What was I thinking? Now isn't the time to tell her I think I like her, she's got so much on her plate. She doesn't need to add me. 

But I can't deny it now, seeing her cry tore me up, and I hope I never have to witness that again. I had no clue her parents were dead, I just thought they were always at work or something. If I had known, I wouldn't have asked. 

That means she's been living alone for three years. That's got to be tough. 

When I get home, my mother greets me with a kiss on the cheek, then tells me to get to bed, that it's late.

It's only eight thirty.

I do as she says, putting my phone on its charger in the kitchen before brushing my teeth and making my way into my bed. 

<><><><><><><><><><><><><>

"Hey you," Rose says as she walks back into the locker room after her fight. 

"Hey," I reply happily. "Another win?"

"Like you weren't watching," she says with a smile. I shrug. I was watching, of course. I never miss a chance to see her fight. 

"This one looked less scary than yesterday's," I say, referring to her opponent.  

"That one was a little scary, I guess," she agrees, putting her helmet into her bag. She pulls her hood over her face, like she always does, then turns to me. "You ready?"

I nod, then follow her out the door.

A lone figure walks down the hall, dressed in black. 

"Look down, Horan," Rose mutters. I immediately focus my eyes on the tiles in front of my feet, waiting until after the person passes us and turns the corner before speaking. 

"Who's that?"

"Don't know. Sketchy though. No one really comes down these halls besides the boxers and coaches. But I've never seen him before."

By now, we've reached the pay window, and she sticks out her arm, waiting until the bills are put in her hand before continuing down the hall, shoving the money into her bag.

"Why don't you ever count it?" I ask. 

"Cause I wanna go home, not count money," she replies, opening the door that leads outside. I follow her out into the night air, a chill sweeping over me as a breeze blows past. 

We walk over to her truck, then stand there like we've been doing for a few days now. Usually we talk a little before we part ways.

"So the project is due in a couple days," I start.

"What about it?" she asks, looking up at me.

"Are we still gonna hang out after its done?"

She shrugs. "If you want to. I kinda like hanging out with you."

I smile. "I like hanging out with you too." 

"So we can keep hanging out then. Unless your parents have an issue with you hanging out with girls."

I laugh at her joking tone. She sometimes likes to make fun of how strict my parents are with me.

"They should be okay with it. If they aren't I can just say I'm going to a friend's house. I don't always have to tell them who it is."

She smiles. "Now you're lying to them? I've been an awful influence on you, haven't I?"

"Nah, it's fun being with you," I laugh. If only she knew how much I really enjoy being around her. 

"I'm bad company to keep Horan. From the wrong side of town," she says, suddenly becoming serious. Rose has been telling me this for the past couple days. It's like she's trying to tell me something, but without actually saying it. 

"Rose, I don't care what side of town you're from. It doesn't matter."

She looks down, leaning on the hood of her truck.

"It matters to a lot of people. Mostly the important ones," she mutters. 

Wait... did she just indirectly say that I was important to her? Or does she just mean other people?

"What do you mean?" I ask, moving so that I'm standing in front of her.

"You know, important people, people who look at job applications, they don't care how good your grades are or nothing, if you're from the wrong side of town, they don't hire you, simple as that." 

Oooohh... So that's what she meant. 

"Has that happened to you?" I ask quietly. She nods. 

" 'S alright though. I've got a good paying job now, nothing to complain about. And I get to punch people," she says, shrugging. 

"But you want a better job, don't you?" She shrugs again. 

"Nah. I like this one."

I nod. "So what's left to do on the project?" I ask, changing the subject. 

She begins to tell me, using her hands to talk, an expression of concentration on her face, the little of it that I can see. I don't really hear what she's saying after the first couple sentences, because I get lost in her expressions, how she moves her hands.

"Horan, are you listening?" I blink when she lightly punches my shoulder, trying to concentrate on her words and not just her.

"Yeah, course I am," I say, rubbing the back of my neck. 

She laughs quietly. "What did I just say?"

"You just asked me if I was listening," I shoot back. She shakes her head, a smile on her face.

“You’re weird, you know that?” she asks, looking up at me. Even though she has her hood pulled down pretty far, she makes sure to tilt her head up enough so that I can see her eyes.

“Yeah, you’ve told me plenty of times already,” I say with a smile, staring down into her bright eyes.

She smiles back, tilting her head to one side. A strand of her ponytail falls into her face, and I reach up, tucking it back under her hood, hooking the end of it behind her ear. My hand lingers for a second, my heart racing as I realize how close I am to her. I pull my hand back, returning it to my pocket as I look down at our feet, noticing how her shoes appear tiny next to mine. 

"So, I'll see you tomorrow then?" she asks quietly.

"Yeah. Tomorrow," I say, just as quietly. 

She doesn't move for a moment, but then she leans forward, wrapping her arms around my waist in a hug. I freeze for a bit at the unexpected gesture, but then move my arms around her shoulders, pulling her closer so that her head rests against my chest. 

After a couple seconds, I feel her sigh, and she pulls back. 

"Well, see you," she says, smiling softly. 

I step back so she can walk to the driver's door of her truck.

"Yeah, see ya."


	7. Chapter 7

**Rose**

 

The next week seems to go by quickly, the project Niall and I were partners for earned us both an A grade, something we were quite proud of. Niall even suggested we get ice cream after school to celebrate. It was pretty fun, even when I spilled my ice cream all over my shorts and had to go home and change. Niall didn’t seem to mind at all, plopping himself right down onto my worn sofa like he lived there himself. 

We’ve been hanging out almost all the time, going to each other’s houses after school nearly every day. Today we're at my house, sitting across from each other on my bed in my room, playing truth or dare, just the two of us. 

“So, truth or dare?” he asks, wiping some of the whipped cream I had just dared him to lick off of his foot from the corner of his mouth. 

“Truth,” I answer. 

“Do you like anyone?” I tilt my head to one side.

“Define ‘like’.”

“Like, do you _like_ like anyone?” I laugh at his explanation.

“Maybe,” I answer, avoiding saying any names. 

“Who?” 

“That’s two questions! I get a turn first!” I counter, and he groans. Phew. I don’t want to have to admit out loud that I think I might have developed a liking for the stubborn Irish lad in front of me. I don’t know how he’ll react. 

“Truth,” he says before I can even ask the question, probably wanting to avoid another dare like his last one. 

"Who do _you_ like?" I ask. His mouth falls open.

"Oh, come on! You can't just - Rose!" 

"Come on Ni," I tease. He groans, still smiling. “Alright, how about this. You tell me what she looks like, and I’ll try to guess who it is,” I suggest, trying to make it easier on him.

I’m curious though, I want to know. He’s said before that he likes someone, but he’s never said who. He’s mentioned that she’s out of his league, but I know that’s impossible. He’s in a league of his own, at the top. If anything, _he’s_ probably out of _her_ league. Whoever she is.

He’s literally the sweetest guy I’ve met, and I’ve met a lot of people. He’s funny too, he’ll make stupid jokes until I smile if he sees me frowning. 

“Is she in our class?” I ask. He nods. “Okay, give me something else.” This should make it easier. We’ve only got about thirty people in our class, and around twenty of them are girls. 

“Well, she’s… she’s kinda short,” he starts. 

“Like, shorter than you?” I ask, wanting him to clarify. 

He nods. “Yeah, I’m about a head taller than her. And she has long hair.” The height description rules out about half of the girls, most of the people in our class are pretty tall.  

“A lot of girls have long hair, that doesn’t help me, silly!” I jokingly complain, smacking his arm lightly. 

“I don’t wanna just give it away!” he says with a grin. 

“Alright, fine. It’s not Taylor, or Rachel then.” Both girls have short hair. They’re probably the only two in our class who don’t have long, flowing locks. 

“Nope. Not them.”

“Give me something else,” I say. He looks up, thinking of another thing to tell me. 

“She’s got dark eyes. They’re really pretty,” he says, a silly grin on his face. 

“Hmmm.. not May then.” She’s got blue eyes. “Or Carrie or Megan.” Both have greenish eyes. He shakes his head, his expression getting a little more serious. “What color did you say her hair was?” 

“I didn’t say. But it’s dark, like her eyes,” he replies. Hmm… that rules out a couple more. Who is it? I furrow my eyebrows in concentration, racking my brain. Who is he talking about?

“Something else, please.” 

He takes a deep breath. “She’s less than two feet away from me.” Then he closes his eyes, tilting his face toward, looking down as if he thinks he’s said something wrong. 

Wait a second, less than two feet away from him? He likes me? _Me_? There’s nothing special about me, I’m the opposite of special, I’m almost a criminal, for pete’s sake! But yet, I’m somehow relieved that he said something first. Now I know how he feels, so I don’t have to be as scared of telling him I might like him too.

“I get it if you don’t like me like that, but… I guess I just wanted you to know…” 

“Ni,” I say quietly, reaching over and holding his face in my hands, making him look at me. He looks so sad, it’s heartbreaking. His bright blue eyes seem cloudy, not alive like they usually are. “You are the nicest guy I know. That I’ve ever known.” 

“But you don’t-”

I put a finger over his lips. “Let me finish, silly. But, no matter how much I like you, I don’t deserve someone like you. My life’s too fucked up to get someone as sweet as you involved in it. I don't want you to get hurt.”

“So wait, you do like me?” he asks, suddenly hopeful.

“Is that all you got from that?” I ask with a laugh.

“Well, other than your use of unnecessary vulgarity, yeah,” he admits.

“ _Someone_ swallowed a dictionary this morning,” I laugh. “But yeah, I do like you. It’s hard not to.” 

He smiles. A real Niall smile, which always makes me smile. 

“You look pretty when you smile,” he says.

“So do you,” I answer.

“Hey! I’m not pretty, I’m a man!” he protests, laughing. 

“Fine then, you’re not pretty.” 

“But you are.” I look down, a small smile on my face. It’s been a while since someone’s told me they think I’m pretty. Mom and Dad never did, I’m not sure why. I guess they thought I had enough confidence on my own without them having to say anything. “Rosie…” Niall says, putting a finger under my chin to get me to look up at him. 

“Hmm?” I answer. 

“I don’t know what to say. Is this where I’m supposed to say something?”

“You don’t have to,” I reply, smiling. 

 

**Niall**

 

“So let me get this straight. She likes you, you like her. Are you together?” Harry asks the next day during calculus. We've both finished our homework early (Rose helped me with mine last night) so we've got extra time to kill while the rest of the class finishes.

“I don’t know. We didn’t say anything about that,” I reply, curious to know the answer myself. 

“What else happened?” he asks, poking my arm. 

“Nothing. We talked for a while and then I went home.” He frowns, sticking out his bottom lip a little. 

“You didn’t kiss her?” he asks incredulously. I shake my head slowly. “Come on Ni!”

“Hey, she calls me that,” I protest. 

“Oh, so she’s got a pet name for you? What do you call her?”

“Rose,” I answer with a shrug. Harry groans, dropping his head onto the table in front of us. 

“Niall, you gotta call her something besides her name. Girls like that kind of stuff.”

“Sometimes I call her Rosie. Does that count?” Is this a big deal or something? I’ve never had a girlfriend before, unless the girl who kissed my cheek in preschool counts. 

“I guess it does. What else did you do?”

“Nothing,” I say again.

“For real? Nothing?” Harry asks. 

“Yes, nothing. We didn’t do anything except talk. For real.”

"Wow. So what are you going to do later?” 

I shrug. “Dunno. Rose is probably gonna come over after school, and - why are you looking at me like that?” 

“Rose is coming over? To your house?” he asks, an eyebrow raised. I nod. “What are you two gonna do?” he questions, suggestively wiggling his eyebrows. 

“Harry! Not like that!” I whine. 

"I'm just kidding. But seriously, what do you guys do?"

"We hang out. Watch movies, talk. Normal stuff."

"So you haven't pulled any moves on her or anything?" I raise an eyebrow.

"What are you talking about?" I ask.

He grins, then says, "watch and learn."

He gets out of his chair, making his way over to a girl sitting by herself. He says something to her, then sits down as I watch with curiosity.

After a bit he yawns - obviously fake, stretching his arms above his head. When he lowers them, he loops an arm around the girl, pulling her a little closer. Then he looks back at me, making sure I've seen the whole thing. He tells the girl something, and she nods, then he gets up, walking back over to me. 

“Did you get that?” 

 

Later that day, Rose and I are sitting on my couch, watching a movie. She told me we had to watch _Titanic_ , that it was her favorite and she couldn’t believe I hadn’t seen it before. We had the whole house to ourselves, my mother was at her office and my father was visiting people at the senior center. 

Rose is completely focused on the movie, hardly noticing me sitting next to her. I’m not really watching the film. I’m watching Rose as she watches it. She makes the cutest faces in reaction to what happens on the screen. 

Alright, here goes nothing. I fake a yawn, stretching my arms above my head and dropping one over Rose’s shoulders. I see her smile, and she leans into me, laying her head on my shoulder. 

“You do know that’s, like, the oldest move in the book, right?” she asks quietly a few minutes later, tilting her head up to look at me. 

“What are you talking about?” I ask, confused.

“Oh, I’m suddenly tired, maybe I should stretch and put my arm around this girl next to me,” she says with a smile. 

“Was it that obvious?” I ask, chuckling.

She shrugs. “It was cute.” she lays her head back on my shoulder, tucking her legs underneath herself and snuggling into me. I rub her arm with my hand, laying my head on top of hers. 

“Hey Rosie,” I ask. 

“Hmm?” she hums back.

“Would you want to… go somewhere? With me?” I ask, stumbling over my words. 

“Like where?”

“I don’t know, like dinner at a restaurant or something?” She gasps, sitting up and looking at me.

“Niall Horan, are you asking me on a date?” 

“I mean, if you want to…” 

“Yes!” she squeals, bouncing up and down on the couch. I laugh at her excitement, she’s so cute. “So when are we going?” she asks excitedly, her pretty eyes sparkling more than usual.

“Do you wanna go now?” I ask. “I’ve got a few hours until my parents get home.”

“Can we?” 

“Sure, if you want.” 

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Rose**

 

After I had my little moment of super excitedness, Niall drove us to a small cafe not too far away from his house. We ate spaghetti in a booth in the corner, and talked about school, mostly complaining about all the homework we’ve been getting. 

After we finish eating and Niall drives us back to his house, it's almost five. Time for me to drive down to the arena. 

“Thank you,” I tell him as he walks me across the street to my truck. 

“It’s nothing. I had fun,” he replies with a smile. I’m pretty sure I haven’t stopped smiling all day. 

“So I’ll see you later then?” I ask. He nods. 

“Yeah. I’ll be down there later. My dad still thinks I’m talking Jesus with you every time I go down to the arena.” By now we’ve reached my truck, and I’m standing next to the driver’s door, Niall in front of me.

“Well, I like it when you come watch my fights,” I reply, stepping closer to him. 

“I don’t like lying to my dad though,” he says guiltily, looking down.

“Then tell him the truth, silly.”

“But what do I tell him? There’s this girl who goes to my school and I’m going to watch her fight some guy that’s twice as big as she is, and then I go see her in her locker room?” he questions. 

“Tell him you’re going to see your girlfriend,” I suggest. His head shoots up, looking at me confusedly.

“My girlf - really?” he asks, his eyes lighting up. I nod.

“If you want, I mean.”

“That’s great! This is the best day ever!” he says, spinning around in a circle, a happy smile on his face. He turns to me, then I’m in the air, and he’s spinning both of us around, his hands on my waist holding me up. 

“Easy, Ni,” I laugh, my hands on his shoulders. He sets me down, both of us grinning like idiots. “So I’ll see you later then?”

He nods excitedly. “Yeah, I’ll be there.”

“Okay then,” I reply, not moving from his hold. “I guess I should go now.” 

“Yeah, you shouldn’t be late,” he replies, not letting me go. 

“Hey Ni?” 

“Hmm?” he looks down at me

“Thanks again. This was really fun.”

“You’re welcome. You wanna do this again sometime?” 

“I’d like that.”

Suddenly there’s a loud ringing, coming from my pocket. I pull my phone out, answering the call. 

“Hello?”

“Where are you girl? You’ve got less than half an hour to get here before your fight starts,” Rafael scolds. 

“I’m sorry, I was just getting in the truck, I’m leaving now. I’ll be there soon,” I tell him. 

“Alright. Hurry.” Then he hangs up. 

“So you really have to go now?” Niall asks. 

I nod. “Yeah, that was Rafe. I’ll see you later, I’ve gotta go.” I lean up, kissing his cheek, then open my door, climbing into my truck. 

“See you later,” he says, starting to walk back toward his house. He waits outside until I drive away, waving at me when I pass.

 

When I get to the arena, Rafael is waiting at the door for me, his arms crossed as he leans against the wall. 

“Where have you been? What are you thinking, what - what is that look on your face?”

“What look?” I ask. 

“You’ve been with a boy, haven’t you? That’s why you’re late,” he assumes as he leads me down the hall. 

"What? Where did you get that idea?” I ask. He can’t know about Niall. It’s gonna send him into a fit, telling me not to get people involved and shit. 

“You keep smiling, even when I’m yelling at you. You sound happier than usual. Either someone got you a shit ton of gummy bears or you’ve got a boyfriend.”

Wow. I didn’t think I was _that_ obvious about it. 

“Is it that guy who keep coming to your locker room after the fights? He seems nice.”

Wait, what? He seems nice? Is that his way of telling me that he’s okay with me having a boyfriend?

“What?” I ask. 

“Come on, I’ve seen the way you look at him. Don’t deny it.” He holds the door to my locker room open, letting me go in first. I don’t answer, not sure what to say. “It’s fine with me, just be careful. Don’t get him too involved in stuff. Don’t tell him everything unless you trust him completely.”

“You’re - you’re okay with it?” I ask, unsure. 

“Yes, just be careful. Don’t want him to get hurt.”

Relief floods through me, and Rafe begins telling me about tonight’s opponent. Since it’s Friday, I’ve got an actual challenge in the ring. Supposedly there’s only a few who have beaten this guy, but after tonight, there’ll be another one. 

After Rafe leaves, I change into my gear and lace up my shoes. 

“Miss Scarlet, there’s someone here to see you,” I hear Joe call through the door.

“Who is it?”

“He says he’s your boyfriend.”  

“What’s he look like?”

"Blonde, blue eyes, he's got weird shoes on."

"Let him in, Joe," I say with a laugh. I hear the door open, and seconds later someone covers my eyes. 

"Guess who?"

"Ni, I know it's you," I giggle. 

"Aw, that's not fair," he whines. He uncovers my eyes and I see him standing in front of me with a pout on his face. 

“Aw, is Ni sad?” I ask. He nods, sticking his bottom lip out even farther. 

“What’s gonna make it better?” I ask, giggling.

He holds his arms out, and I move into them, wrapping my arms around his torso. 

“Better now?” I ask, my voice muffled due to my face being smushed in his chest.

“Much better,” he says, setting his chin on top of my head.

“Miss Scarlet, you’re up next,” Joe calls from the doorway.

“I’ll be there in a minute,” I answer.

Niall quickly lets me go, muttering a sorry. 

“Why are you sorry silly?” I ask.

“You’re gonna be late,” he says. I laugh. 

“I’m always late. It’s my thing. Help me tape my hands.” I hand him the tape and hop up onto the table that’s sitting against the wall. 

Niall helps me tape my hands, carefully wrapping the red tape around my knuckles. 

“So, are you gonna win?” he asks after he finishes with the tape, setting it next to me on the table. 

“Yeah. Course I will.” 

“That was kind of a stupid question, wasn’t it?” he says, laughing. 

“Nah, it was cute.” 

“Oh, so now I’m cute?” he asks, a dangerous glint in his eye. 

“Yeah, you’re cute,” I retort with a smirk. 

Suddenly he’s tickling me, and I’m all but screaming as I try to get away from his fingers. 

“Niall!” 

“What’s wrong?” he asks, acting as if he’s not tickling me.

“Stop it!” I wheeze, not able to catch my breath. 

“Scarlet!” Niall jumps away from me, both of our heads turning to the door to see an angry Rafael standing there. 

“Sorry. I’m coming,” I tell him, hopping down onto the floor and kissing Niall on the cheek before grabbing my helmet and jogging out the door, turning around to wave at Niall as he shouts ‘good luck.’ 


	9. Chapter 9

**Niall**

 

I sit in the stands after a light scolding from Rose’s trainer about not distracting ‘his girl.’ I didn’t mean to, I thought she had time. He didn’t seem too mad at me though. He actually seemed okay with Rose and I being together. He just told me to be careful, to make sure that this is what I really want before diving in too far. 

He doesn’t have to worry, I don’t really know what I’m doing with the whole dating thing, so I think Rose and I are going to take everything nice and slow. 

Rose is in the ring now, doing pretty well considering this is supposed to be one of her tougher opponents. She doesn’t seem to be having much trouble, her small size allowing her to dodge most of his blows, wearing him out with the effort of trying to keep up with her. 

What started out as almost a David and Goliath type of fight has turned into a contest of who can last the longest. Rose uses this strategy a lot. Because of her size it isn’t easy for her to punch the guys over and over again until they’re begging for mercy, which is a tactic most of the boxers use, so instead she waits it out, letting them chase her around the ring a few times, throwing a punch here and there, and it usually works. The huge men she fights are reliant on the energy zapping punches they throw in their fights to wear out their opponents, so they don’t train for longer fights, while Rose trains to build stamina. She can’t just beat them right away, she has to outlast them. 

After the now panting and sweating guy is on the ground underneath Rose, I rise from my seat with the rest of the crowd, cheering as the referee holds her arm up. Since Rose’s fight is always the last one of the night, the mass of people begins filtering out toward the door, leaving me a clear path to walk down to Rose’s locker room. 

“Hey, where are you going?” someone asks, grabbing ahold of my arm. I turn to see a man dressed in a black hoodie and baggy jeans. 

“I’m going to go see Scarlet,” I answer.

“Good luck with that. She never lets anyone in,” he replies, letting go of my arm and disappearing into the crowd. 

Who was that?

I walk down the now empty hall, making sure no one is around before knocking on Rose’s door. 

“Who is it?”

“It’s the pizza man,” I say.

"What kind of pizza did you bring?” Rose asks. I can hear the smile in her voice.

“Your favorite.”

“Which is…?”

“Blonde and Irish.”

“Well then by all means, do come in,” she replies. 

I open the door, sliding through it and making sure it closes behind me. As soon as the latch clicks, a pair of hands cover my eyes.

“Guess who?”

“Hmm… the muffin man?” I say.

“Do you know the muffin man?”

“Not unless you’re the muffin man,” I reply.

“Well, I’m not,” Rose replies, nuzzling her nose into my neck.

“Ew… you’re all sweaty!” I complain, trying to wiggle away from her. 

“Ni!” she giggles, letting go of my face. I turn around, my hands going to her sides to tickle her.

 

A couple days later, around the dinner table, my father tells me that he and my mother are going out of town for the weekend. 

“Where are you going?” I ask.

“There’s a pastor’s conference, and we’re supposed to bring our wives along,” my father replies. “But they said no kids, so you’ll have to stay here by yourself.”

“Oh. How long will you be gone?” They’ve never let me stay alone when they’ve gone to these before. They always sent me to grandma’s house for the weekend. Maybe it’s because I’m getting older. 

“From Friday evening to Sunday night.” Whoah, _two_ whole days with the house to myself? What am I gonna do? “But, there are some ground rules. No parties, no drinking, no more than two friends over at once,” I can have friends over? “and we expect the house to be clean when we get back.” I nod, though I’m already thinking of inviting Harry and Rose over. 

Harry still doesn’t know that Rose and Scarlet are the same person, and they haven’t officially met yet. But I think they would like each other, they seem like they would get along. 

I help my mother with the dishes, washing them while she drys them. 

“So, when are we going to meet this girlfriend of yours?” she asks.

“Rose? I don’t know, when do you want to meet her?” Is this another big thing that I haven’t thought of? They seemed okay with me saying I was going to go visit my girlfriend a couple days ago, just smiling and nodding.

“How about you invite her to dinner here? Maybe tomorrow?” my mother suggests.

“I’ll ask her. She might have to work.” Rose usually has to be at the arena around the time we eat dinner. Maybe when she gets her week off. 

“She has a job?” I nod. “What does she do?” Uh oh. I’m not sure what to say. I can’t tell her Rose fights down at the arena, she’ll have a heart attack. 

“I’m not sure, she hasn’t mentioned it,” I lie. Well, it’s a partial truth. Rose never _directly_ told me what her job was, I just happened to find out on my own. 

“How often does she work?” 

“Every weeknight, but she gets a week off every month.”

“Goodness, she must enjoy her job then,” she replies, putting a plate back into the cupboard. “Where is she from?”

“A few minutes away, not too far. Her house is pretty cute,” I reply, smiling at how Rose thinks it’s a scary looking house. It’s not that bad, really. 

“Cute? What do you mean?”

“It’s not that big of a house, it’s cute,” I explain. 

 

After the dishes are done, I go up to my room and call Rose.

“Hey, what’s up Ni?” she answers. 

“Um, my parents want to meet you. My mother suggested dinner tomorrow night.  If you have to work its okay, I'll just tell her and-"

“Ni, it’s cool. I’ve got tomorrow off,” Rose replies, giggling.

“So you can come? I mean, do you want to?” I ask nervously.

“Sure. It’d be fun to meet your parents,” she says reassuringly. “Do I have to wear anything specific?”

“Um… not unless you want to,” I tell her. “We don’t really dress up for dinner.”

“Okay. What time should I be at your house?”

“Around six-ish? We usually eat then.”

“Okay. I’ll be there.”

“Okay.” There’s a pause, neither of us saying anything. “So… I’ll see you tomorrow then?”

“Yeah,” she replies. “Goodnight Ni.”

“Night Rosie,” I reply with a smile before hanging up the phone. 


	10. Chapter 10

**Rose**

 

I anxiously look over my fifth outfit in the mirror, deciding not to wear this one either. I'm trying to find something that doesn’t look too dressy, but still look like I’m making an effort. Why is this so nerve-wracking? It’s just his parents, nothing to worry about. Just the people who kind of control his life and who he can and can’t hang out with. Yeah, not a big deal at all. 

I decide on what I tried on first, a blue floral print dress with a brown belt. My hair is down, the way Niall has said he likes it. I slide my feet into my worn sandals and grab my purse. I walk out the door, careful to lock it behind me. I climb into my pickup truck, then start the engine and drive down the road. 

When I pull up in the driveway, Niall walks out the door to meet me. 

“Hey Rosie,” he says with a smile, wrapping his arms around me.

“Hi Ni,” I reply, smiling once I realize that it rhymed.

“So Ma’s been in the kitchen literally all day, making food for tonight,” he says. 

“Really? She didn’t do all that for me, did she?” I ask, looking up at him. 

“I think that’s why. Usually she only spends about an hour on dinner. She made me clean the _entire_ house.”

"Oh, that's so awful, isn't it?" I say sarcastically.

"I was about to say it was worth it, but I'm not so sure after that," he says, crossing his arms over his chest and pretending to be angry. 

"Aw, come on, Ni. I was joking," I giggle. "Come on, where's that smile?" I poke his cheek, and the corner of his mouth twitches. "Come on, you know you wanna smile."

"Nope," he replies, shaking his head. 

"Come on Niall, just smile!" I say. "Oh my goodness, that rhymed! I'm a poet and I didn't even know it!" I exclaim. That gets him. He laughs, a full on Niall laugh, the kind that makes my day seem so much brighter.

"There we go, now you're smiling." 

He takes my hand, leading me up the sidewalk and then up the stairs to the front door. He opens it, holding it for me as I walk through.

“She’s here!” he shouts, pulling me toward where I think the kitchen is. I’ve only been up the stairs to his room, I haven’t seen most of this huge house. 

“Well, bring her in here,” I hear a woman’s voice call. Must be his mother. He smiles down at me, then pulls me through a doorway into what has to be the biggest kitchen I’ve ever seen.

A short blonde woman is standing by the stove, pulling a dish from the open door. She turns and sees me, her face lighting up in a smile.

“You must be Rose,” she says, setting the dish down on the counter before wiping her hands on her apron. She then holds her hand out for me to shake, and I do, smiling.

“It’s nice to meet you Mrs. Horan,” I say as politely as I can. 

“Call me Maura,” she replies warmly. I smile back, nodding politely.

“She seems very polite Niall,” she observes. 

“Ma…” Niall whines. 

“She’s fine Ni,” I laugh. 

“Dinner will be ready in a few minutes, that gives you enough time to set the table Niall,” she says, making the blonde groan.

“Its not that bad silly, I’ll help if you want,” I offer. 

“Please,” he almost begs. I laugh, walking with him to help set the table. 

“So, I think we’re eating steak and potatoes, I’ll warn you now that she puts lots of seasoning on the steak, so it’s probably spicy,” Niall says quietly as we put the plates in front of where people are going to be sitting. 

I nod. “So where should I sit? Is there a usual spot where you guys sit?” I ask, not wanting to look like I want everything my way, because I don’t want them to think I’m a brat. 

“Dad usually sits there,” he nods toward the head of the table, “and ma sits to the right of him. I just sit wherever.” 

I nod. “Okay.”

“So, this is Rose,” I hear a voice behind me say. I turn to see a taller man, about Niall’s height, with dark hair and blue eyes.

“Yes, this is Rose,” Niall answers. “Rose, this is my dad.”

I nod with a smile, not sure if I should shake his hand or not. He ends my unease when he reaches his hand out, and I take it, shaking his hand.

“Goodness, Niall, you’ve got yourself a pretty girl.” 

“I know,” Niall answers, smiling at me. 

“Food!” comes the call from the kitchen. 

Niall's mom comes out of the kitchen with a huge bowl of mashed potatoes, setting it in the center of the table. Everyone takes their seat, Niall sits across from his father and I sit in the other chair across from his mother.

They all fold their hands and bow their heads, and I copy them, not sure what else to do. Niall’s father mutters some words that I can’t understand, then they all say ‘Amen.’ Then they start reaching across the table and filling their plates. I join them, politely asking for things to be passed to me and taking small bites.

If I were at home right now I’d be stuffing my face. The steak is a little spicy, but it's so unlike what I usually eat that I eat all of mine and about a third of another. _Damn_ , these potatoes are good. 

“So Rose, Niall mentioned that you’ve got a job. What do you do?” Maura asks after most of us have finished eating.

I smile. “It’s not a permanent thing, but I’ve got a job down at the boxing arena,” I say. I see Niall tense out of the corner of my eye.

“Really?” I nod in answer to her question. 

“I don’t do a whole lot, just handling money and things, keeping track of winnings,” I reply, my answer calming Niall down. I’m not going to just tell them that I fight at the arena. I’m not stupid. 

“Mmhhmmm, sounds pretty time consuming,” Niall’s father muses.

“Yes sir, I work most nights during the week,” I say politely. 

“So, Niall hasn’t told me, how did you two meet?” his mother asks.

I smile. “Well, we actually ran into each other after school one day. Like, literally ran into each other and dropped our books.” I look over at Niall and see him smiling too.

“Aw, isn’t that sweet?” she coos. 

“And then we got paired together for a project, and we hung out some more,” Niall adds, “then we went out for dinner a few days ago.” 

“What do your parents think of it?” she asks.


	11. Chapter 11

**Niall**

 

Rose freezes, her small hands gripping the edge of the table, wrinkling the freshly starched tablecloth. I can see the tears welling up in her brown eyes. 

“Um… excuse me please,” she says quietly, standing from her seat and walking out of the room, taking deep breaths. 

“Ma, I asked you _not_ to ask about her parents,” I quietly scold once she's gone. I didn’t want something like this to happen. 

“I’m sorry honey, it slipped out, I didn’t mean to,” she starts. 

“Maybe you should go see if she’s alright,” my father says. I nod, then stand, walking out of the room in the direction I saw Rose go. While walking down the hallway, I hear sniffles, and after checking behind a few doors, I find Rose in one of the bathrooms. 

"Rose?" I say quietly, nudging the door open a little.

"Ni?" Her voice cracks, and she sounds so sad and vulnerable that it makes _me_ want to cry.

"Can I come in?" More sniffling. 

"Please."

I open the door enough to slide in, and immediately Rose wraps her arms around me, burying her face in my chest.

"Shh... it's okay. I'm right here," I tell her, putting my arms around her. "I'm sorry. She didn't mean to, she's just nosy."

"It's alright. It wasn't her fault," Rose mumbles, a broken sob escaping her. 

"Shh... you're alright Rosie, I got you," I soothe, my hand rubbing her back. 

It's quiet for a moment, the only sound being Rose's quiet sniffles. 

"You look really pretty tonight," I tell her, gently stroking her soft hair. 

"Thanks. I probably just ruined my makeup," she says. 

"You look better without it," I counter quietly. 

"Thanks Ni." She squeezes me a little tighter.

"Are you alright now?" I ask, not in any real hurry. If she wants to stay in here all night, it's fine with me. 

She nods, pulling away from me a little. She's right, she did mess up her makeup. There are black lines running down the sides of her cheeks. "I think so. Just let me fix my face." She grabs some toilet paper, swiping under her eyes to clean up the black smudges. She looks in the mirror, making sure she's gotten it all, then turns to me. She takes a deep breath, letting it out in a big huff. 

"I think I'm alright now."

"You missed a spot," I joke. She furrows her eyebrows. 

"What? Where?" she asks, looking in the mirror again.

"Right here," I say, kissing her cheek. One side of her mouth quirks up into a grin as she shakes her head.

"Silly."

"You like it," I say, pulling her in for another hug.

"I do," she murmurs. 

I take her hand and lead her back out to the dining room, and we sit back down. My mother starts asking questions, none of them about parents, acting as if nothing happened. 

Rose continues in the same way, politely answering everything she's asked. Before I know it, it's after dark and time for Rose to go home. She says her goodbyes and I walk her out to her truck.

"So my parents are going out of town for the weekend, and I was wondering if... maybe you wanted to come over?" I ask.

"Are you talking come over and stay the night, just you and me, or will there be other people, or what?" Spend the night? I hadn’t thought of that. I’ve never had a girl stay the night at my house before. Maybe that would be fun too. 

“Um, I was thinking of inviting Harry over too. Then you two could meet and maybe we could all have fun together.”

She nods. “Sounds fun. Should I bring my jamjams?” 

I smile at the way she asks the question. She can be so cute sometimes. Well, all the time actually. 

“If you want, I guess,” I reply. 

“Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow then?” I nod, then pull her into a hug. 

“Bye Rosie,” I say into her hair. 

“Bye Ni,” she replies.

“Do you always have to rhyme things?” I ask. She giggles.

“Not all the time, just when I can think of things that rhyme with your name.” 

“You’re cute,” I tell her. She looks up at me, resting her chin on my chest.

“You’re cute-er,” she says, a big smile on her face. 

“Nuh-uh, you’re cuter,” I reply, grinning back. 

“Yeah-huh, you are too cuter,” she says, beginning to giggle. 

“You’re smaller, that makes you cuter,” I argue playfully. 

“Well, you’re blonde, that makes you cuter.”

“Nuh-uh!” I say, my hands moving to her sides to tickle her. 

“Ni!” she giggles, trying to squirm away from me. 

“Say I win,” I order, still tickling her.

“Scarlet never admits defeat!” she giggles. 

“C’mon, you know you wanna,” I laugh. 

“No!” she almost shrieks, her hair flying everywhere. Suddenly our eyes meet, and my hands stop moving. Rose’s smile slowly disappears as we gaze at each other, not saying anything. 

I feel myself start to lean closer, and Rose slowly closes her eyes. Her hands fall onto my shoulders as mine rest on her waist. 

Is this really happening? I blink a couple times just to make sure I’m not seeing things, but when I open my eyes each time, Rose is still there, only a few centimeters between us. Just a little farther…

“Niall!” 

Rose’s eyes snap open, alarmed at my mother’s loud shout.

“I’ll be in in a minute ma!” I call. Then I look back at Rose. “Sorry.”

“You’re fine,” she says, standing on her tiptoes to kiss my cheek. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Ni.” Then she climbs into her truck, waving as she drives away, back to her cute little house. 

I stand there in a daze for a second, then snap out of it when my mother calls me again, quickly walking back inside. 

"She certainly seems nice," my mother says when I walk into the kitchen to help with the dishes.

"She is nice," I reply as I pick up the dish towel and a plate. 

"Why doesn't she like to talk about her parents?" 

I sigh. "It's not my place to tell, Ma. She's a bit... sensitive about them." I don't want to just tell her, what if Rose doesn't want everyone knowing? I had no clue she was living on her own until she told me. 

"Oh?"

"It's nothing bad, she just doesn't like to talk about them."

"Well, maybe we'll get to meet them someday," she says, attempting to be optimistic.

"I don't know that that's possible, Ma." Her parents are dead. I don't think you'll get to meet them anytime soon. 

"Anything is possible, Niall."


	12. Chapter 12

**Rose**

 

I walk into school the next day, tired from staying up all night thinking. Was Niall really going to kiss me? Was that just me, or did it really almost happen? And he asked me to come over this weekend. Does that mean he wants to do stuff, or just hang out like we’ve been doing? Knowing him he probably wants to do both, but he won’t say it out loud, because that’s not how he was raised. He doesn’t talk about sex, or anything sex-related, he doesn’t swear, curse, anything. Not my usual type. 

But I like him nonetheless. He’s so cute and funny, and he’s so polite. It’s a nice change from everything I’m used to. Most everyone that I spend my time with is either rude, wants something from me, or tries to punch me in the face. Niall doesn’t do any of that. 

He’s kind, making sure I’m comfortable before he sits down on the couch whenever we watch a movie. He’s caring, texting me every morning, asking me how my day has been going randomly throughout the day, listening to what I say whenever we talk. 

He just deserves so much, and I’m not sure I can give it to him. I’ll do my best, but I’m not exactly the church on Sundays, legs crossed whenever I sit, stay in the kitchen and cook and clean kind of girl. I think that’s what his parents want for him, at least that’s the impression they gave off last night, his mother constantly asking me if I knew how to make such and such, or if I knew how to get a certain stain out of her dress, she hadn’t figured it out yet.

Luckily I knew the answers to all her questions - thank goodness for Pinterest - but if she expects that kind of girl normally out of me for her son, she’s going to be disappointed. 

“Rose!” Speaking of Niall…

“Hi Ni,” I grin as he walks up, reaching for my hand and lacing his fingers through mine. 

“So how are you?” he asks. “You look a little tired.” 

That’s another thing. He’s completely honest with me, I don’t think he’s lied once.

“I’m alright,” I reply, “just excited. Couldn’t sleep last night.”

“Oh. Well, I haven’t asked Harry if he can come yet, so it might just be you and me,” he says, nudging my shoulder with his.

“Are you implying something, Niall?” I ask. Might as well figure it out now if I should wear my good panties and bra or not.

His face gets really red, and I’ve got my answer before he can stutter it out. “No, I didn’t mean it like that, I just meant… um…”

“You’re fine silly,” I say, kissing his cheek. “Just messing with you.” 

"Oh," he sighs, his face getting redder. I can almost hear him mentally scolding himself to get his mind out of the gutter.

"But I wouldn't mind if you were implying something," I say coyly, watching his eyes widen. I'm not usually quite _this_ forward with him, so it must be a surprise. 

"Umm..." he stutters, not knowing what to say.

"You're alright, I'll wait till you're ready for stuff like that," I assure him. 

"Oh. Okay. So, how are you at making popcorn?" he asks, changing the subject. 

"You put the bag in the microwave and turn it on, Ni. It isn't that hard."

"Well, there must be some secret to it, because every time I try to make popcorn, it burns," he says. I smile. 

"Then when I come over I'll help you figure it out."

The bell rings, and everyone begins to clear out of the hallways, heading to their classes that start in five minutes. Niall walks me to my class, stopping outside the door. 

“Well, I guess I’ll see you in biology then,” he says.

I nod. “See ya then.”

I turn to walk into class, but stop when I feel his hand on my arm, pulling me into him. I look up at him, and see the determined expression on his face. I tilt my head to one side, a little confused. The hall is almost empty, most everyone is in class already. He starts to lean in, slowly inching his face closer to mine. His eyes flick down to my lips, then back up to mine, holding my gaze as I feel my eyes start to close. 

It's happening, this is really happening.

I can feel his nose brush against mine, and move my head forward a little. I feel him tuck a strand of hair behind my ear, then his warm hand cups my cheek. My eyes flutter closed as his lips tentatively brush against mine, sending tingles through my entire body. He pulls back a fraction of a centimeter, as if he’s scared to do anything else. I wait patiently as long as can, until he comes back, firmly pressing his soft, warm lips to mine. I put my hands on his chest, practically melting into him. 

I’ve never had a kiss like this before. No moving, no tongue, nothing but lips on lips. I like it. Somehow this seems to give me more butterflies in my stomach than any other thing anyone has ever done. 

We stay like that for probably just a few seconds, though it seems like an eternity, until he pulls back, leaning his forehead on mine. 

“See you later,” he says. I can feel his heart thumping under my hand, and I know he felt something in the kiss too, just like I did. I smile at him, my head spinning a little as I nod. 

“Yeah, later.”

 

**Niall**

 

“What did you do?” Harry asks quietly as I slide into my seat next to him, an entire two minutes late. 

“Nothing. I didn’t do anything,” I reply quickly, silently hoping that the flush I know is on my face can pass as fatigue, seeing as I just ran down the hall. 

“Yes you did. You’ve got that look.”

“What look?” I ask, trying to make it look like I’m paying attention to the teacher. 

“ _That_ look,” he says, poking my face. 

“There is no look, this is just me,” I reply. 

“Come on Niall, you’re practically glowing. Your face is all red. What did you do?”

“Nothing. I just ran down the hall. I didn’t kiss Rose or anything, leave me alone.”

“You kissed Rose?” he asks, his mouth falling open. 

Did I really say that? I feel my face heat up even more. 

“Shh! Do you want everyone to know?” I say, putting my hand over his mouth. 

“Mister Horan! Would you please keep your conversation until the end of class!”

“Sorry.” I glare at Harry, who shrugs. 

 

After what seems like forever, I’m in class with Rose. The last class of the day. Then we’ll go to my house and have a sleepover. That sounds almost girly, having a sleepover. 

“So, how are you?” I ask Rose as I slide into my seat next to her.

“Pretty good. How about you?” she replies. 

“Ready to go home. Harry’s been bugging me all day.” 

“Really? Why?” she asks, taking out her notebook.

“I might have told him that we.. kissed.”

“You say it like it’s a bad thing,” she laughs. 

“It’s not - I mean, I didn’t know if you were okay with it or…” she puts her hand over my mouth.

“You talk a lot when you get nervous, don’t you?” she observes. “It’s fine with me if he knows.”

“Okay.” She’s good at this. She’s got me pretty much figured out. 

Then the teacher starts talking and I’m taking notes and messing with Rose for the remainder of the class, poking her and then acting as if it wasn’t me. 

When the final bell rings, I walk Rose to her locker. 

“So when do you want me to come over?” she asks. 

“Do you have to go anywhere else first?”

She shakes her head. “I’ve got this whoooole week off,” she replies. 

“Whenever you want to come over then.” 

“Did you invite Harry?” I nod. 

“He said he can come, so you’ll get to meet him officially.”

“Sounds fun.”


	13. Chapter 13

**Niall**

 

“So where is she?” Harry asks as we sit in the living room later that evening. Rose hasn’t gotten here yet, and it’s been awhile. The clock says it’s almost five. 

“She said she was on her way,” I reply, checking my phone for any new texts from her. 

There’s a knock at the door, and I get up to answer it, pausing the movie. 

I open the door, and see Rose standing there.

“Rosie!” I say, wrapping my arms around her.

“Hi Ni,” she replies, dropping her bag on the floor and hugging me. “Sorry I took so long, there was a traffic jam and I couldn’t get around it.”

“You’re fine.”

“So this is Rose?” Harry asks, walking into the entryway. 

I feel Rose lift her head up to look at Harry as I nod. 

“Hi,” she says with a smile. “You must be Harry.”

“That’s me,” he replies. 

“We were just watching a movie, do you wanna join?” I ask. 

“Sure.”

Ten minutes later, we’re all sitting on the couch, Rose squished between Harry and I. All three of us aren’t really watching the movie anymore, we’re talking and joking around.

“So, wait, did you tell him yet, Ni?” Rose asks. I shake my head.

“Tell me what?” Harry asks. “Wait, is she pregnant?”

“No, not that. I mean, I’m not. It was something else,” Rose says.

Harry looks between us. “What?” 

“You know how when we went to the arena, all that people would talk about was Scarlet?” I ask.

“Yeah, and she was the only one we couldn’t talk to, cause she was gone,” he adds. I nod. 

“And you know how no one knew what she looked like?” He nods, a confused expression on his face. “Well, I figured it out.” His jaw drops. 

“What? What’s she look like?” he asks excitedly. “Is she pretty?”

“Very,” I say, smiling at Rose, who blushes and looks down. 

“Wait - you… Rose?” Harry asks, seeming to have made the connection. I nod. “No way.”

“Do you want proof?” Rose asks cockily.

“Easy, I don’t need any broken furniture when my parents get home. I don’t know how I’d explain that,” I say, wrapping my arms around her to hold her back. 

“So you really are Scarlet?” Harry asks. Rose nods. Then he turns to me. “ _Your girlfriend_ is the best boxer in the county?” 

“She’s not actually as scary as people say,” I tell him. 

“This is crazy,” he laughs. “How do you do it?”

“Lots of late nights,” she replies, leaning her head on my shoulder. “I’m hungry.” 

“What do you wanna eat?” I ask. She shrugs.

“I dunno. I just want something to eat.”

I laugh. “How about some popcorn?” I say, grabbing the bowl and putting it in her lap.

“Oooo, thanks. Me likey popcorn,” she says excitedly, grabbing a handful.  

“Hey, that was mine!” Harry whines. 

“You wanna fight for it?” Rose asks with a grin.

“Nevermind,” he squeaks, sinking back into the couch. 

“I’m kidding, I’ll share,” she laughs. 

 

**Rose**

 

After watching about three movies and eating enough junk food that I know Rafe is going to yell at me, Niall and I are cuddled up on the couch under a blanket, and Harry’s laying on the floor, covered in pillows. He’s been randomly yelling things at us all night when we’ve gotten cozy, like -

“Hand check!” he shouts. I sigh, then lift my hands out of the blanket, putting them up so he can see them while Niall does the same.

“Haz, we aren’t gonna do anything, you don’t have to worry,” Niall says, yawning afterward as he wraps his arms back around me. 

“Are you tired, Ni?” I ask, sliding my hand up his stomach to tickle him.

“Rose!” he yelps, trying to squirm away from my hands. His hopeless efforts only end in him falling onto his back on the couch, with me on top of him. “Stop it!” he laughs.

“Never!” I declare, giggling. 

“Please!” he tries, helplessly trying to squirm away from me. “Harry, help!”

“I got you Niall!” Harry shouts, wrapping his arms around my waist and effortlessly pulling me off of Niall. 

“No! Ni, don’t let him get me!” I say, kicking and thrashing in Harry’s grip.

"Harry! Get your hands off of my girlfriend!" Niall shouts, hopping up off the couch and running over to me. He pulls me away from Harry, sending a fake glare in the taller boy's direction before pulling me back to the couch.

"Hey, let's play truth or dare!" Harry suggests. Niall looks at me.

I shrug. "I'm game."

"Alright, let's do it," Niall agrees. We all sit on the floor, in what was originally supposed to be a circle, but since there's only three of us, it's more of a triangle.

"So Rose, truth or -"

"Dare," I say, cutting Harry off before he can finish the question. 

“I dare you to… send Niall a nude.” Niall almost chokes on his drink, and I feel my eyes widen for a second. That escalated quickly. No chance to get warmed up or anything. Wow. 

“Are we talking like a full on, everything, or...?” I ask. I’m thinking of a way around this, but if it doesn’t work, I’ll be fine with it, as long as it doesn’t get spread around, which I don’t think it will. 

“Yes?” Harry says, sounding as if he’s questioning it himself. We both look over at Niall, who shakes his head and holds his hands up. 

“Don’t look at me, I don’t know,” he says. 

“Well, I don’t happen to have any on my phone. You have a mirror in your room, right?” I ask, turning to Niall. He nods, confused. “Okay. I shall return momentarily.” 

I get up, walking up the stairs and into Niall’s room, closing the door behind me. 

“You do realize she’s getting naked in your room, don’t you?” Harry asks. I can’t hear Niall’s reply, but I can hear Harry’s laughter after he hears it. 

I pull my shirt over my head, sliding my sweatpants down my legs, then stand there, looking at myself in the mirror, trying to figure out the angle I should use to not give away too much, but still make it look convincing. I take three pictures, one of my shoulders up, one of my stomach, stopping just under my boobs and above my hips, and one of my legs. That seems good. Nothing he hasn’t seen before, he should live.

I press send, then delete the pictures from my phone, pulling my clothes back on and heading back downstairs. 

“Was that alright?” I ask as I sit back down next to Niall. 

“He says he’s not gonna look,” Harry laughs. “He hasn’t touched his phone since you left.”

I giggle, watching as Niall’s face turns red.


	14. Chapter 14

**Niall**

It's more distracting than I thought it would be, having pictures of Rose on my phone and not having seen them. I'm trying to pay attention to what Rose and Harry are doing, but it's becoming increasingly harder to not pick up my phone and open the message.

I know it's not the gentlemanly thing to do, looking at naked pictures of a girl, but for the past hour, it's all I've thought of doing. It's not like it's because I'm a hormonal teenager, I'm just... curious. I've never actually seen a naked girl before, and the fact that it's Rose, my girlfriend, just makes me want to look that much more.

Rose yawns for about the fifteenth time in the past five minutes, and looks over at me.

"Where are we sleeping?" she asks, her eyes half closed.

"Um... I guess we can just sleep in here." I hadn't really thought about it until now. Usually Harry and I would just sleep in my room, but with Rose here, I'm not sure if we should.

"Okay," she replies, pulling the blanket she's got draped over her lap so that it's wrapped around her shoulders, yawning again.

"Do you wanna go to sleep?" I ask, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"A little. But I don't wanna miss anything," she answers, leaning her head on my shoulder.

"You won't miss anything," Harry tells her, "we're probably going to just talk about you anyway."

"Okay," Rose says yawning again. She curls up against me, her eyes fluttering shut as she snuggles into my side. "Night Ni."

"Night Rosie," I say fondly.

After a few seconds she opens an eye, looking up at me.

"You know, it's kind of creepy to watch people when they're trying to sleep," she says with a sleepy smile.

"I can't help it. You look cute when you're sleepy," I reply, ruffling her hair.

She laughs halfheartedly, the sleepy smile still present on her face. "You're silly, Ni."

She closes her eyes again with a yawn, pulling the blanket tighter around herself.

"You two are so cute," Harry says after a few minutes, wiping away a fake tear.

"Shut up," I say with a smile, looking down at Rose.

"So I'm guessing you guys haven't done anything besides kiss, am I right?" he asks.

"Yeah. Is that bad?" I don't want to rush things, especially when I have no real clue what I'm doing.

He shakes his head. "No, I'm just saying that you're moving kinda slow. Have you guys even talked about anything?"

"What do you mean?" I ask in confusion.

"Have you guys talked about how far you want to go? How fast you're gonna move with... this?" he asks, motioning toward Rose and I.

I shake my head. "Not really."

"Maybe you should. Just so it's clear what you want and what she wants."

I shrug. That does sound like a good idea, even though I'll have no clue what I'm talking about.

"So, are we really staying down here?"

I nod. "I don't want to leave Rose down here by herself, and I'm not sure I can carry her up the stairs without waking her up," I say, my hand moving to smooth over her hair.

"She's got you so whipped," Harry laughs.

I don't say anything, but I know he's right.

The next morning, I wake up with a weight on my chest and a sore neck. Maybe sleeping on the floor wasn't the best idea after all. If it weren't for Rose laying on top of me, I'd move. But I'm stuck for now.

I look over at the coffee table next to me, and see my phone sitting on the edge. Might as well check to see if my parents tried to contact me.

I reach out an arm, grabbing my phone and pressing the lock button to turn the screen on. I have three messages, one from my mother, one from my father, and one from Rose. Rose texted me? But she was here the whole night...

Without thinking about it, I open her message, and nearly throw my phone across the room once I see what it is. That's why I hadn't touched my phone all night.

My sudden movement wakes Rose, and she sits up, startled, blinking rapidly.

"Are you okay?" she asks me, her eyes wide.

I nod, backing out of the picture message without looking at my phone. I lock the screen again, vowing to wait until I'm alone before I use my phone again.

"Are you sure?" Rose asks, crawling up until she's eye level with me. I nod again. "Good," she says. Then her soft lips are on mine, sending a warm, fuzzy feeling all through me, starting in my head and working it's way down to my toes. I wrap my arms around her, hugging her tight to me.

She starts moving her mouth, sliding her lips over mine, and somehow more butterflies flutter in my stomach. I copy her, trying to match her movements.

"Ahhh! My eyes!"

Harry's loud shout makes us jump apart. I forgot he was here for a second.

"You could at least warn people before you start snogging each other's faces off!" he says, his hands still over his face. Rose giggles, then kisses my blushing cheek.

"Morning, Ni."

Rose

After lunch, Harry goes home, leaving just me and Niall.

"So where do I sleep?" I ask, curious. Is he going to be a rebel and let me stay in his room or will he be a goody two shoes and ask me to stay in a guest room?

"Umm... I was thinking maybe you could... um... stay in my room? There's an extra mattress I could get out of the closet, and you could sleep on that. Or you could have the bed. Whichever you want," he rambles.

It's cute how whenever he talks about something that makes him nervous, he stutters and rambles on and on.

I shrug. "I can sleep on the floor. It's alright."

"Are - are you sure? Cause it's fine with me if you want to sleep in my bed, I don't mind, really."

I raise an eyebrow at him, faking shock. "Are you trying to get me in your bed, Niall? I thought you would at least take me out to a romantic dinner first."

The look on his face is absolutely priceless.

"No, no, no, I didn't mean it like that, I just meant, uh..." he stumbles, his face turning red.

"I'm just messing with you, silly. I'll take the floor, it's fine," I say, leaning up to kiss his cheek.

"Oh... okay," he says, his face still red.

"So... what are we gonna do?"

"I don't know, what do you want to do?"

We decide on a movie, cuddling up on his bed under a blanket.

After about twenty or so minutes, I turn my head, kissing his cheek. He waits about five minutes, then returns the gesture.

It seems as if we both have the same idea after a couple minutes pass and we both turn our heads at the same time, our lips connecting.

"Rose," he stutters when I slide my hands under his shirt.

"Hmm?"

"Umm... can we talk?"

"Sure, if you want," I say hesitantly, "what about?"

He looks a little lost for a second, as if he doesn't know how to say what he wants to say.

"Umm... how... how many guys have you been with?" Thank goodness. I thought this was going to be one of those 'we need to talk' things that end a relationship. Phew.

"A few," I say. "Why?"

"Um... how far did... did you go with them?"

"Are you trying to have the sex talk with me?" I ask curiously. If that's what he wants, ok. I'm still just glad he isn't breaking up with me.

"Uh... I don't know?" he answers, his face turning red.

"I'm not a virgin, if that's what you want to know." I see him frown. "Is that a deal breaker?" I ask nervously.

He shakes his head. "No, I was just... um... how far do you want to go with... this?" he asks, pointing to me and then to himself. So that's where we're going with this. Alright.

"As far as you wanna go," I answer. I'm alright with whatever he wants. "Are you a virgin?"

He nods.

"Oh..."

"Is that a deal breaker?" he asks. I shake my head.

"No sir, not at all," I reply.

"So are we gonna take this really slow, or...?" he questions.

I think it over for a minute.

"How about this. We take it slow, but if stuff happens, it happens. Unless you don't want it to."

He nods, taking it in. "Okay," he agrees.

We go back to watching the movie, except I'm not quite there mentally. Now that he's mentioned it, I can't ignore the aroused feeling I've got in the pit of my stomach.

Goody.


	15. Chapter 15

**Rose**

 

My eyes open, and the first thing I see is a sleeping Niall. I quietly lay there and watch him sleep, snoring quietly.

Our faces are inches apart on his pillow, our noses almost touching. His head rests on one of his arms while the other arm is lying limply over my waist, holding me close to him.

We must of fallen asleep before Niall got out the other mattress. Oh well, it’s comfy up here too.

I feel the arm that's over me move, his grip tightening slightly, and his eyes open. At first he seems shocked to see someone else in bed with him, but then realization sets in, and he smiles.

"Morning sleepyhead," I say.

"Morning," he replies, his voice low and groggy. He seems to think of something, then asks, "what happened last night?"

"We were watching a movie, and I guess we just fell asleep," I reply.

"We - we didn't..." he starts to ask, but then his face gets red and he can't seem to say the words. I shake my head, understanding what he's trying to ask.

"We just slept, Ni. Nothing else," I assure him. He relaxes at my words, relieved.

"Oh. Okay." He smiles. I nod, then extend my arms above my head, stretching my body's tired muscles.

"Rose..." Niall says, sounding nervous.

"Hmm?" I ask, but I figure out what he's talking about when I feel something press against my leg. "Oh..."

He awkwardly looks away, his face getting even redder, to the point where he's almost purple.

"Hey, you're alright. It happens," I tell him, trying to lessen his embarrassment.

"Yeah... it happens," he says quietly,  not looking at me.

"Do you want me to leave, or...?" I ask, starting to move away. My leg accidentally brushes against him, and he groans.

"Rose..." I can practically feel him grow against my leg, and decide that I have to do something.

"Do you... want help with that?" I ask.

"What?" he asks, confused. I forgot that he hasn't done all the stuff I have, so he probably doesn't know what I'm talking about.

"I can help? If you want."

He looks conflicted, and, knowing him, he won't actually say what he really wants. So I take matters into my own hands. Literally.

"Okay, just tell me if you want me to stop, alright?" He nods obediently, still looking confused.

I slide one hand into his hair, while the other slides down his body, the flat of my hand palming over the bulge in his shorts. I watch as his eyes open wider, his mouth falling open.

"Is this okay?" I ask, my hand rubbing over him. He nods, a small moan falling from his lips.

I pull his head back a little, attaching my mouth to the hot skin on his neck. Another, louder, groan makes its way out.

"There you go, just relax Ni," I say quietly. I begin to feel him twitch under my hand, and squeeze him a little. His hips buck forward, and I move my hand faster, pressing down a little more. Almost immediately he moans loudly and a wet heat spreads out under my hand, and I pull away, kissing his cheek.

"Better?" I ask.

"What... what was that?" he asks.

"You mean you haven't -" I trail off as he shakes his head. Holy _shit_. I just gave the pastor's son his first hand job. I am a horrible influence.

"What?" he still looks confused.

"I'll put it in simple terms. You just had an orgasm."

His expression doesn't change for a second, then I can literally see it click in his mind.

"But wait - isn't that - don't people have to have -"

"No Ni, you can have an orgasm without having sex," I clarify, understanding what he's trying to ask. "You've never done something like that before?"

He shakes his head. "I can see why people make a big deal out of it though. I was missing out."

I feel my mouth turn up into a smile.

"How have you not though? I mean, look at you."

"Are you trying to say something?" he asks.

"Well yeah, you're hot. It's kinda obvious." How does he not see it? He's gorgeous, seriously. It's a wonder that girls aren't fawning over him all the time.

However, he seems a bit surprised at my statement.

"No I'm not," he says, looking down. Is he serious?

"Niall, look at me." He slowly tilts his head up to meet my eyes. "I see guys everyday who eat steroids for breakfast and get paid to have huge muscles. You look way better than any of them just the way you are."

He smiles a little, blushing and looking down.

"I'm supposed to be telling you stuff like that, not the other way around," he mutters, yawning at the end of his sentence. "Why am I all sleepy again?"

I smile, he's so cute. "You want the scientific explanation or the one you can understand?" I ask.

He yawns again, holding up two fingers.

"Well, there's fancy chemicals in your brain that make you sleepy, and after an orgasm there's lots of them, so you get really sleepy."

He nods, yawning again.

"You can go to sleep if you want. I don't mind. Do you want me to make breakfast for you when you wake up?" He nods, pulling me into him. I wrap my arms around his neck, nuzzling into his shoulder.

"You're comfy," I tell him.

"You're warm," he mutters into my hair before falling asleep again.

 

**Niall**

 

A few hours later we sit at the table, eating breakfast.

“Hey Rosie?” I ask.

“Hmm?” she answers, looking up at me.

“Do you.. um.. wanna go to church with me?”

“Like, today? It is Sunday, right?” I nod. “Umm… I don’t know.” She sounds unsure, almost like she’s scared or something.

“It’s not super formal or anything, I usually wear jeans or stuff like that. I’ll sit by you and everything if you want,” I try.

“I don’t know Ni,” she sighs. “I haven’t been to a church since… I don’t even remember.”

 

And so here I sit, in the front pew.

By myself.

I didn’t want to force Rose to come if she didn’t want to, and she clearly didn’t want to. I’m not sure why though. It’s not that bad, but I don’t know what it’s like to not be in church on Sunday. I’ve always been a churchgoer, since before I was born. Literally.

Harry slides in beside me just as the organist starts of the first hymn, his shirt half tucked in and his hair a mess.

“Where have you been?” I ask in a whisper. Not that anyone can hear me over the music of the organ.

“Slept in. What number are we on?” he asks, pulling a hymnal from the rack in front of us.

“Six thirteen,” I answer. “I’ve got something to tell you.”

“What?” he asks, glancing over at me.

“Not here. Later.”

“Why not here?” he asks, confused.

“Because.”

Harry shrugs, and the rest of the service goes smoothly, the guest pastor giving a good message in my father’s stead.

As we walk out after the service, Harry asks, “so what do you wanna tell me?”

“It’s about Rose,” I say, walking toward my car. His mother usually has a ladies guild meeting after church, so Harry gets a ride home from me every Sunday, so he follows me, climbing into the passenger seat.

“What about her?”

“I asked her if she wanted to go to church with me today and she said no.”

“Oh. Did she just flat out say no, or was it more of a ‘I don’t know...’?”

“More of an I don’t know,” I reply. “I just thought she might want to, after what happened earlier…”

“What happened earlier?” he asks.

“What?” I feel my face get red. Did I really say that?

“Niall, what happened?” Harry asks, a smirk growing on his face.

“Uh… Oh look! Ice cream!” I say, trying to change the subject.

“Niall.”

“Fine,” I give in. “I… wokeupwithabonerandRosemayormaynothavedonesomestuffforme,” I say quickly.

“What?” he asks, his eyes wide. I sigh, almost starting to repeat my embarrassing sentence, this time slower, but then he keeps talking. “She did?”

I nod, biting my lip.

“Little Niall’s growing up!” he says. “First you kiss a girl, then.. this. Next you’ll be telling me you’re having sex with her or something.”

“Whoa, slow down. We aren’t going that fast,” I cut in. “We said we’re gonna take it slow.”

He raises an eyebrow. “This is taking it slow?”

“I don’t know, she said we’d take it slow, and if ..stuff.. happens, it happens.”

“And it happened.”

I nod again. “Yep.” And it was pretty awesome.

“So, did you… do anything for her?”

“What do you mean?”

“She did stuff for you. Did you do anything in return?”

I shake my head. “Was I supposed to?”

“Did she ask for it?”  

“No, she didn’t say anything. We just went back to sleep.” I answer. “Why, is this another thing I’m supposed to know?”

“It’s just a thought, I don’t think she wants to ask you to do anything you’re not comfortable with. That might be why she wouldn’t ask for anything.”

So she might not want to push me. That makes sense.

I pull into Harry's driveway, and he climbs out, saying a 'goodbye' as he does.

I drive home, still not seeing my parents'  cars in the garage as I park mine in it's spot.

I clean up the house, then finish my homework, falling asleep before my parents get home.


	16. Chapter 16

**Rose**

 

I walk out of biology at the end of the school day, and make my way to my locker. Niall had to stay behind to talk to the teacher about something, I don't know what though. 

I put my things into my bag, then close my locker and lean back against it, waiting for Niall.

"Hey Rose," someone calls. I turn my head and see a tall guy walking over to me. Well, he looks tall to me. Everyone does. 

"Hi..." I reply, not sure what to say. No one ever really talks to me beside Niall, May, and Harry. 

"Hey, um, I was wondering... do you maybe wanna..."

I furrow my eyebrows, confused. 

Suddenly he grabs me, making me drop my bag as he drags me down the hall, his hand clamped over my mouth to keep me from calling for help. 

He drags me into a hallway that has the lights off, pushing me up against the wall, holding me there with his body. I sink my teeth into his hand, making him yelp and pull it away from my face. 

“What the -?” I start, but he puts his hand back over my mouth. 

“Shh!” he says. “Shut up!”

“Rose?” I hear Niall’s voice call. My head turns toward the sound, hoping he’ll find me. “Where are you?”

I feel the guy’s lips on my neck, and push at his chest, trying to get him away from me. He doesn’t move, he just pushes me harder against the wall, trapping my arms in between us so I can’t move my hands. 

I hear footsteps as I feel his hand move to my hip. 

“Rose?” I see Niall’s shadow on the floor, then he turns the corner. He sees me, and I try to get away, but I’m held in place. “Hey, get off her!” He shouts angrily as he begins to make his way over.

The guy looks up, startled, and lets go of me, stepping back. I move over to Niall, and he wraps an arm around me, moving so he’s standing half in front of me. I don’t protest, staying close to him, my hands wrapping around his arm. 

It’s almost as if I can’t hear anything, because I see the two boys’ mouths move, but I can’t hear what they’re saying, But I can feel Niall tense up, and I know this isn’t going to end well. 

It seems to go in slow motion as the other guy swings his fist at Niall, who blocks it, pulling his other arm from my grasp and punching the guy in the face. 

“Hey! You three!” Someone’s voice shouts. My head snaps over to see a teacher walking down the hall toward us. 

 

About half an hour later, we’re finally getting to go home. We’ve been sitting just outside of the principal’s office, each of us going in individually to be questioned about what happened. 

They had to call Niall’s parents, along with the other guy’s, whose name is actually John. They couldn’t call my parents for obvious reasons, so I could’ve just gone home, but I wanted to wait for Niall. 

When they got there, his parents were a little mad, which was understandable, considering their son got into a fight. After we explained what happened, they were a little less mad, because he was just protecting me, but they were disappointed that he resorted to violence so quickly instead of talking it out. 

We say our goodbyes, and go our separate ways. As I drive home, I can’t get my head around Niall hitting someone. I never would’ve expected it. Even Niall seemed surprised at himself. 

When I go to bed that night, I feel like it’s my fault. Not what happened today, but the way Niall seems to have changed. He’s been spending so much time with me, and I’m at the arena so much, he might have been influenced by that. I don’t want him to change, he’s fine the way he is. I don’t want to be the reason that he changes.

 

**Niall**

 

“You’re grounded for two days,” my father says as we walk through the front door. 

“Yes sir.”

“Do you understand why?” 

“I hit someone,” I reply. 

“Not because of that. You had a good reason. It’s because you chose to hit someone before talking it out first.” 

I nod. “Okay.”

“However, you can still have Rose over if you want. You just can’t go anywhere except school.”

I nod, then continue upstairs to start on my homework. 


	17. Chapter 17

**Niall**

 

One Week Later…

 

"So, waddya wanna do?" Rose asks, tossing her bag onto the floor next to my bed before sitting on the mattress. We’ve just come from a long day of exams at school. 

"I dunno. What can we do?" I ask, looking down at my hands. I can't stop thinking about what Harry said, and how I kinda want to try it. It's literally the only thing that's been on my mind for the past week.

"Whatcha thinking about?" I can instantly feel my face heat up, and I know that I've been caught.

"N - nothing... " I mutter. 

"Ni, I've already told you I won't make fun of you, you can tell me whatever you want."

I sit next to her on my bed.

"Well, you know how you... you know..."

"What if I don't know? What did I do?" Rose asks, and I know she's messing with me.

I feel my face get redder, if that's even possible. 

"You know... When you... made me lose it." I say, not quite having the guts to say the actual thing out loud. She raises an eyebrow.

"When I made you come? What about it?" She says it so easily, how is that possible? Rose seemed like such a shy girl when I first saw her at school. 

"Um... well, I was wondering, if you..."

"If I ... wanted to do it again?" she asks, attempting to finish my sentence for me.

"No, I mean yes, but... I was thinking maybe... I could... make _you_ lose it." 

She tilts her head to one side. "Really? Where'd you come up with that idea?"

"Well you... did stuff for me... I just thought you'd want me to... yeah." I sound like I'm twelve, good God, I'm so inexperienced. 

"You don't have to," she says softly. "I mean, unless you really want to." She pauses. "Do _you_ want to? Or do you feel like _I_ want you to, so you should?"

" _I_ want to," I tell her. It means a lot that Rose doesn't ever force me into anything, that she's always willing to wait until I'm ready, that she doesn't want to make me uncomfortable. "But... I don't know how," I admit, looking back down at my hands. 

"I can show you," she says, rubbing her nose on my neck, "if you want." 

"Please," I say, taking one of her hands in mine. She nods.

"Alright." She leans up, kissing me as she pulls me down onto the bed, laying next to her. I wrap my arms around her, pulling her into me. She hooks one leg over my hip, and tangles her fingers into my hair. 

"What do I do?" I ask breathlessly, barely breaking our kiss.

"Come here." She pulls me up the bed, until she's laying with her head on my pillows, and I'm hovering over her. 

"Do I have to be on top of you?" This feels like it's almost s.ex like this. What I imagine s.ex to be like, anyway. Is she going to take her clothes off? Do I have to take mine off?

"You don't have to, but it's easier for you if you are." I nod, then lean back down, brushing my lips over hers.

"Now what?" 

"First off, once you start, it's kinda not nice to stop. So are you absolutely sure you want to do this?"

I nod.

"Alright. Just follow my lead." She connects our lips again, easing my nerves a little. Once I'm calmer, she takes one of my wrists in her grip, sliding my hand to the bottom of her shirt, then slowly under it. I start to get what she's asking for, so I slide my hand farther up her stomach on my own, but hesitate once I feel her bra under my fingers. 

"You're okay. Keep going," she whispers, then returns to kissing me. I can't quite make my hand go under her bra, so I start tracing the outline of the cup on her skin with my fingers. 

When she moans quietly, I pull back a little. 

"Are you alright?" 

She smiles. "I'm fine, don't stop."

I nod, then continue, keeping my face above hers, watching her expression. I can feel her chest start to rise and fall faster than before.

"Can you take your shirt off?" I ask. Maybe if I can see where my hand is going, I'll be more confident. 

She grins. "I'll take mine off if you take yours off too."

I feel her hands slide under my shirt, her fingers lightly tracing along the skin above my jeans. When I hesitate, she adds, "I won't make you get naked. I just want to see you."

I nod, then sit up a little bit, grasping the hem of my shirt and pulling it over my head, revealing my not so toned stomach. When I can see her again, I notice that her eyes are considerably darker, and she's biting her lip.

"How?" she asks breathlessly. "Holy f.uck, I want to eat you right now." My eyes widen at her foul language, but at the same time, there's another feeling stirring deep down inside me. I'm not sure what exactly it is, but I like knowing that I make her feel that way, even if I don't think I look that good.

She looks up at my face, then beckons me back down to her. 

"I thought you were going to take your shirt off," I mutter.

"I want you to do it," she says lowly. I gulp, then slowly nod. Both my hands gently grip the bottom of her shirt, and I slowly, nervously, drag it up her stomach. She lifts her arms above her head to help me out, and I pull the fabric over her head, dropping it onto the floor off the side of my bed. 

I look back at her breathtaking body, and I feel like I should say something to her. Like she did for me.

"Red is my favorite color," I blurt out without thinking once my eyes fall on her red lace bra. 

She giggles, a beautiful sound, then says, "that's good. Come here."

I crawl back up over her, and set my hand on her stomach. I look up at her, and she nods encouragingly.

"You can touch whatever you want, Niall. It's fine with me."

Curious, I slide my hand farther up her body. I feel her eyes on me as my hand ghosts over the cup of her bra, then up the strap, pushing it off of her shoulder and hooking my thumb into it, pulling it down her arm, dragging half of her bra with it.

Then I slide my hand onto her shoulder, making a couple small circles with my thumb, unsure of what to do.

Without thinking about it, I lean down and kiss her, trying to calm my nerves. Her hands return to my hair, her nails scratching at my scalp as she moves her mouth with mine.

I slide my hand down, toward her chest. Slowly at first, then in a rush of bravery, I cup her breast in my hand, gently squeezing.

She gasps, her head falling back as her back arches, pushing the creamy mound further into my hand, filling it. 

"Do you... do you like this?" I ask, still kneading her breast.

"Yes," she moans. 

I lean down, and press my lips to her neck,  in the hollow of her throat. Instantly her hands are tugging at my hair, another moan falling from her lips. Alright, moaning is good.

I press open mouthed kisses up and down her neck as my hand gropes her chest, marveling at how such a small thing makes her gasp and squirm.

She slides one hand from my hair, wrapping her fingers around my other wrist, guiding it down her body, under her sweatpants, until it's between her legs. She puts her hand over mine, pushing my middle finger onto her, then guiding it in slow circles. After a few times, I start to move my hand on my own, and her hand returns to my hair. 

I accidentally slip, and my fingers slide lower, making her moan loudly.

"Do that again, please." 

I repeat the action, gaining another loud moan from her.

"Yes, right there, oh..."

I soon find a rhythm, and Rose seems to like it. Before long, I begin to gain a sense of pride. I'm pleasuring a girl. Sure, she had to show me how at first, but now I'm doing it on my own. I'm the one making her feel this way. My father would be so furious if he ever found out about this. Good thing he isn't home to catch us. 

I start moving my mouth lower on Rose's neck, down to her collarbone. Wanting to know what will happen, I dart my tongue out, licking her skin. 

She gasps again, a low moan coming from her throat.

"F.uck, Niall..." 

She must like it. I run my tongue over her collarbone, and she moans again. Maybe I should move lower?

I kiss down her chest, stopping above the cup of her bra. My tongue darts out again, sliding across the exposed skin at the top of her breast. 

I'm not prepared when she pushes my face down onto her chest, shoving her breasts in my face. 

"Please," she whimpers. I run my tongue over her smooth, warm skin again, enjoying the way her chest heaves under my hand and mouth.

"N-Niall..." she moans. "Kiss me, please."

I pull my head from her chest, then connect our lips again. She's sloppier in her kissing this time, her breathing erratic. I pull away to try to let her get enough air in her lungs, but she pulls me right back, smashing our mouths together quickly before letting her head fall back against the pillows. 

"F - faster," she begs. I move my fingers more rapidly against her, and her hips buck up into my hand, my name falling from her mouth. 

"Rose?" I ask, wanting to make sure she's alright.

"Niall, I'm - I'm gonna - "  

She can't finish her sentence. Her head tips back, her legs beginning to quiver.

"Niall, I'm gonna scream," she says quickly. 

Ok, she's gonna scream.

 ...Crap, she's gonna scream. The neighbors are gonna hear... 

I can see it building inside her, fighting it's way out. My hands are busy... umm... 

Just before she lets the sound out, I press my lips to hers, swallowing her screams as her body tenses, then convulses and writhes beneath me. Her back arches, and she stills for a moment, then falls back, going limp underneath me. 

I slide my hand out from inside her pants, and tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear as she lays beneath me, panting.

"You alright?" I ask, pulling my knees up a little so that I'm on all fours above her. 

She nods, a lazy smile forming on her face. "Yeah. I'm fine," she breathes.

"Was that any good?" I ask, doubt beginning to set in.

She nods, her eyes wide. "Hell yes, are you kidding me? My hands are shaking." She holds up one of her hands so I can see it and, indeed, it's trembling. 

"Give me a minute to calm down, and I'll return the favor if you want." 

I feel my eyes widen, and my blush returns. I nod shyly, and she grins. 

"How do you want it? You want my hand or my mouth?" My eyes widen even more. There's more than one way? 

"Ummm... " I stutter, my thoughts racing, quickly becoming jumbled. 

She raises an eyebrow, beginning to run her fingers through my hair again as she rests her forehead on mine.

"I think you want my mouth," she says lowly. "Do you want that?" I begin to feel my lower stomach muscles clench again like the first time as she asks me what I want. She leans up, her mouth next to my ear, her breath fanning over my neck. 

"Do you want me to blow you Niall?" 

A shudder runs down my spine at her filthy words. I do. It's wrong, so wrong, but I want it. 

"Yes," I groan. 

She slides her nose against mine, our lips barely brushing each other. Her dark eyes look straight into mine, alight with mischief and desire. For me.

She nudges my lips with hers, and I respond,  gliding my mouth over hers. 

Her hands slide from my hair and down onto my shoulders, then down my bare chest. She lightly traces patterns over my stomach, sending a tingly feeling all over me.

She pulls her lips from mine, trailing kisses over my jaw and down my neck. She scrapes her teeth over my shoulder, and a small moan finds it's way out of me. 

Rose begins sliding herself down the bed, her mouth getting lower and lower on my torso.

"Ni?" I look down at her. "If you want me to stop, tell me."

"No, don't stop..." I groan. "Please..." 

She resumes kissing me, running her tongue along the faint lines on my stomach. I feel my blood rushing down as she lays  her hands on my jeans, popping the button and pulling the zipper down. 

Rose has her head between my legs now, if I sit back I'll be on top of her chest.

She slides her wet tongue along the skin at the top of my boxers, then blows a rush of cool air, giving me chills. 

I feel her fingers hook down into the band of my boxers, and suddenly a wave of self consciousness hits me, and I'm scared. No one's ever seen me like this before. 

Rose must notice, because I feel one of her hands reach for mine, lacing our fingers together and squeezing my hand, reassuring me. 

Then her other hand pulls my boxers down, sliding them farther and farther, until my erection springs out, slapping up against my stomach. 

"Holy _s.hit_ , boy," Rose mutters.

"What?" I ask nervously, my insecurity taking over.

"Well, _f.uck,_ you're huge."

She's just laying there, staring at me. My face heats up, but yet I feel a twinge in my lower stomach, and a steady throb can be felt in my length.

"Rose..." I whine, and that seems to break her from her daze. 

"Shhh... I got you," she says, tracing along my hips with her fingers. She lets go of my hand, wrapping her small hand around my length and squeezing gently, sending me into a daze, low moans falling from my lips. 

She licks my tip, then blows air onto it, sending a strange, but welcome feeling coursing through me. 

"Rose..." I groan. 

"Are you ready?" she asks, her breath fanning over me, clouding my thoughts. 

"Yes..."

Then her mouth is around me, warm and tight. She starts small, only taking in a little of me at first. But as she gets going, more and more of my length begins to disappear into her mouth each time she goes down.

All I can feel is Rose. Her hands, one on my thigh, the other around my length, pumping what can't fit comfortably into her mouth; and her lips, beautiful, pink and plump, wrapped smartly around me, moving fluidly up and down, sucking on me like her life depends on it.

Before long, I'm panting and moaning, desperate for something to grab ahold of.

I put my hand on her head, sliding my fingers into her unruly hair. Her hand that isn't around me comes up over mine, pushing my hand and her head forward, encouraging me to set the pace. 

I start pushing and pulling her head back and forth, groaning as I feel a strange sense of power over her.

"Rose," I moan, my head tilting back, my eyes looking up at the ceiling. 

Of their own accord, my hips buck forward,  thrusting my length farther into her mouth. She groans, and the vibrations intensify the feeling that's building inside me. 

I begin thrusting each time I push her head forward, feeling myself hit the back of her throat a few times. 

I feel my release building, and thrust into her mouth faster and faster, feeling her begin moaning, the vibrations from the back of her throat making the feeling multiply a thousand times over.

I feel myself begin to twitch, then Rose squeezes me again, sending me over the edge. I release, shooting into her mouth as I shout her name. 

She swallows multiple times before sliding her mouth from my softening length, pressing a final kiss to the tip before sliding back up the bed, laying eye level with me as she licks the rest of my release off of her lips. 

The arm that holds me up begins to shake, then it gives out, and I fall on top of her, spent.

"Easy... you alright?" she asks, her voice hoarse. 

"Mmhmm..." I say sleepily, my head on her shoulder. 

"You wanna sleep?" she asks as I yawn. I nod, nuzzling into her neck. 

"Hang on, let me put a shirt on. You should probably zip your pants up too. We don't want your parents walking in on this." 

I let her roll me off of her, and I tuck myself back into my jeans as she pulls her shirt back over her head. 

( **A/N - If you skipped the stuffity stuff, start reading here** )

When she lays back down, I roll back on top of her, wrapping my arms around her and burying my face in her neck. Her fingers run through my hair again, pushing me farther toward sleep. 

"Ni?" 

"Hmm?" 

"I can't stay long. It's almost five."

I tighten my arms around her. 

"No. My Rosie." She laughs. 

"I'll stay till you fall asleep. How about that?" she bargains.

I sigh, then nod. I don't want her to leave, but she has to. She's gotta have some money to live off of, and since she won't accept any of mine, she has to fight for it. Literally. 

My eyelids seem to be getting heavier, and no matter how hard I try, I can't keep my eyes open. 

I blink, and when I open my eyes again, she's gone. 

I look at the clock. Seven twenty. I pout as I realize she left over an hour and a half ago. I roll over, rubbing my eyes with my fists, trying to wake myself up.

"Niall? Honey, are you awake?" I hear my mother call.

"Yeah, I'm up," I reply groggily, standing from my bed and walking to my door. My mother stands in the hall, a basket full of laundry on her hip. 

Rose has nice hips. 

"I was about to come wake you up, the table needs to be set, and then we can have supper."

I nod. "Okay."

I go to walk past her, but she reaches out, grabbing my arm.

"What's that on your shoulder?" 

"What's what?" I ask, looking down at my bare shoulder to see a dark purple bruise on the top of my shoulder. Rose. 

"I umm... hit my shoulder on the door when I got out of the car," I lie, hoping she'll buy it. 

"Oh. Why didn't you tell me? I could have put ice on it, then it wouldn't have gotten so dark," she says, her motherly instincts taking over.

"Ma, I'm not three. I can handle having a little bruise," I joke, smiling as her mouth quirks up into a grin.

"I know, you're just growing up so fast, I don't know what to do about it." 

I smile, then hug her, because I am growing up. I don't know if it's because of finally finding a girl like Rose, or because of the things we've done together, but I do feel older than before. 

After my mother lets me go, I walk down the stairs and into the kitchen, almost running into my father.

"There you are, Niall. Didn't see you when I got home." 

"I was asleep," I tell him, making my way over to the cupboard and pulling out three plates, then taking them to the table.

"Yes, that's what Rose said."

I freeze for a second. "You talked to Rose?"

"Yeah, she was leaving just as I got home. Said you two worked on some homework and then you fell asleep on her."

I smile sheepishly as I take the silverware out of the drawer. "Yeah, I guess I did. It was a long day at school today." 

"That's exactly what Rose said," my father murmurs. "She said she didn't blame you. And to tell you that she'll see you tomorrow at school." 

I guess that's her way of telling me to stay home tonight, and not go see her fight. Maybe I can go surprise her or something. 

"She really likes you, Niall." I smile to myself as I reach up to grab the glasses from their shelf. 

"Yeah. She does."

"She seems like a nice girl." If only you knew.

"She is. She's very nice," I say, a goofy smile on my face.

"Are you okay?" my father asks. 

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"

"Well, you seem happier than usual. What'd you do?"

I shake my head. "Nothing different from normal." 

"It's Rose, isn't it?" I can hear the smile in his voice. I chuckle to myself.

"Maybe it is. I don't know," I say.


	18. Chapter 18

**Rose**

I can hear the crowd yelling and shouting as I circle the guy. He's not putting up too much of a fight, and it's throwing me off. It makes me think he's trying to wear me out so he can beat me later in the match.

"Hey, isn't that your boy?" his raspy voice grinds out. I'm not falling for this. I indirectly told Niall not to come tonight, there's no way this guy isn't trying to distract me. The second I look away, he'll attack.

"You think I'm stupid?" I ask, throwing a punch to his stomach. He stumbles backward, and I circle around behind him, shoving him forward onto the floor.

I catch a glimpse of a tall, burly man dragging someone out into the hall. I shake it off and turn back to my opponent, who is beginning to stand again.

"Rose!" My head snaps toward the sound of Niall's voice. He's near the hallway, being drug out by a couple sketchy looking guys. One of them hits his head, saying something, then they drag him out the door. No.

Suddenly my leg is grabbed, and I'm thrown onto the floor. My opponent climbs on top of me, holding me down.

"Not so tough now, are you?" he rasps out. I can't hear him. I have to get to Niall. All my struggling does me no good though. He's too heavy for me to move.

Weak spot, weak spot, where was his weak sp- Shoulder!

I slam my forehead into his left shoulder, and he immediately winces, pulling back an arm to clutch at the pained area. This gives me the opportunity to slide out from under him and duck under the ropes, weaving through the crowd quickly.

"Niall!"

I pull at the door, trying to get it to open, but it's stuck. Through the window I see an arm, someone's holding it shut. I see a flash of blonde hair, and a rush of adrenaline courses through me. I slam myself into the door, feeling it move and buckle a little under the force. I repeat the action, and the door cracks, breaking apart.

I stumble into the hallway, my eyes landing on Niall. I rush toward him, only to be held back by a pair of arms.

"Ah, ah, ah little missy. The boss has plans for you," says a voice from behind me. "Get rid of him." The guy holding Niall nods, then begins dragging him down the hall.

"No!" I screech, struggling to get away from these thugs. A hand is clamped over my mouth, and I'm picked up, carried down the hall, in the opposite direction from Niall.

I thrash and kick in his hold, but nothing seems to affect him. That is, until my heel connects with his knee, making it buckle. As he falls, I'm able to slide out of his grip, then turn and sprint down the hall, in the direction I saw them take Niall.

I catch up with them quickly, and jump, hooking my arm around the guy who's holding Niall.

The unexpected weight around his neck makes the tall man lose his balance, falling backward onto the floor. In a futile attempt to catch himself, he lets go of Niall, who falls off to the side, laying eerily still.

"Niall!" I call, scrambling over to him. Just before I reach him, something grabs ahold of my ankle, pulling me backward.

I claw at the stone floor of the tunnel, trying to stop myself from sliding, but nothing does me any good. Niall gets smaller and smaller as I'm pulled farther and farther away, fighting against it, trying to get back.

One kick lands somewhere that makes the guy stumble, and I'm free once again, hurrying to stand and run back to Niall. By now there's a crowd of people that have migrated from inside the arena, all gathering around the motionless boy. I shove my way through, not caring how many people I end up pushing over to get to him. When I reach him, I fall to my knees, examining his face.

There's a cut on the left side just above his eyebrow, quite a bit of blood pouring out of it. Other than that, he looks like he's just asleep.

That's what they said when my parents died.

No. Niall can't die, he can't leave me here without him, I won't make it.

He's not breathing, I don't see his chest moving. Nothing is moving at all.

I rip my helmet off, not hearing the gasps of the people around me when they finally see my face, pinching Niall's nose shut and taking a deep breath before putting my mouth over his, breathing into his lungs.

He coughs, his eyes fluttering open. When those bright blue eyes finally focus, he's looking at me.

"Ni," I breathe, pulling him up and wrapping my arms around him, burying my face in his neck. I feel his strong arms wrap around me, holding my body close to him.

"Alright, what's going on?" A loud voice says. I don't pull away from Niall, if anything I hold him tighter, knowing the voice came from the owner of the arena, Mike.

I can see him over Niall's shoulder, and I look pointedly in the direction of the hallway I was previously dragged down. He seems to get the message, stalking down the hall and taking a few security guards with him.

People around us start to walk away, a low murmur starting up. When most of them are gone, Niall asks, "are you okay?"

I nod. "I'm fine, now that you are." And I'm going to make sure that you stay fine. No matter what.

**Niall**

Rose takes me back into her locker room to clean up my face, a solemn expression on hers. Even as she runs the rag down my face, wiping the blood off, she looks as if she's having an internal war with herself.

"Rosie, what's wrong?" I ask. She shakes her head, turning my face so she can clean the cut better.

Once she's done, she puts a bandage over the cut, which wasn't that big in reality, and starts to put the stuff away.

After that's done, she starts packing her stuff into her bag, still not speaking at all.

"Rose," I call. She stops, then turns to walk over to me. "What's wrong?" I ask, reaching for her hand. She takes a step back, confusing me.

"Niall, I don't think we should do this anymore," she says quietly.

"What?" I ask, literally feeling my heart shatter into a million tiny fragments.

"Us. We shouldn't do this anymore," she repeats, this time sounding more convinced.

"Why?"

"Because, it's not good. You're gonna... it's just not a good idea."

I furrow my eyebrows, still confused. "Why not? Is it because of what happened? Rose, I'm fine."

"But next time you might not be. This time it was just a little cut, what if they kill you next time? I can barely take it now, what makes you think I'll be alright if -" she cuts herself off, unable to keep talking. "Just... it's better this way."

"No its not," I argue. "Rose, my life is nothing without you, I need you."

"No you don't. You have friends that you can count on, you don't need me."

"Why are you doing this?" I ask.

"I don't want you to get hurt again because of me. You deserve a normal life, without all this."

"But I want all this, if that's what it takes."

"For fuck's sake, Niall! I'm trying to do what's better for you!"

"Why? Why do you want what's better for me? Even though you clearly don't want to do it!"

She groans, running her hands down her face. "You know what? No, I don't want to do this. I want to have you all to myself, I want all that cheesy shit you talk about in your sleep, with the little house and the picket fence and the little dog that chases our fucking adorable kids around. I want all that, but it can't happen." I say all that in my sleep?

"Why not? Why can't it happen?"

"Look at me Niall! I fight in an underground arena to pay my bills! I live in a house that's fucking falling apart! I have no parents, no living family at all. I'm on my own, and I'm doing a pretty shitty job of taking care of myself, what makes you think I can handle another person?"

"You wouldn't have to. I can help you, I'll -"

"Niall, why aren't you seeing this the way I am? It's not going to work. My life is already fucked. I can't get out of this. You can. You don't have to end up like me."

"So that's it? After everything, you're just going to let me go? Just like that?"

She nods, her bottom lip trembling.

"Why?"

"Because. I'm no good for you. I'm gonna mess you up, and I don't want to do that."

"You're not going to mess me up, Rose," I tell her, frustration clear in my voice.

"Yes I am! Look at yourself! You fucking hit someone the other day! You just got practically kidnapped and mugged! You were unconscious for almost five minutes! Do you want that to be a part of your daily life? I don't!"

"Why do you even care? It's my life!" I shout, stepping toward her, backing her against the wall. "I can do what I want, why does it matter to you?"

"Because I love you!" she replies, shoving at me half heartedly. "I fucking love you and I don't want you to get hurt!" I freeze. She loves me?

"Why didn't you say anything before?" I ask.

"What? I just made an entire little speech and all you heard was the end?" She growls loudly, then starts punching me. Not hard, just half hearted hits that don't even hurt. "Why don't you get it?"

"Rose," I say, smiling despite the strange situation.

"No, you're not listening to me!" she says, frustrated tears running down her face.

"Rose," I say, a small laugh breaking free.

"Don't laugh at me! Is this a joke to you?" she shouts, glaring at me.

"No, you're right, it's not," I say.

"I knew it. I fucking knew you didn't..." she starts, her voice breaking.

"What?" I ask, still confused.

"This is my problem, I fall too fast and they don't and it doesn't work and..."

"Rose," I try, but she keeps talking, rambling.

"... what was I thinking, maybe this time would be different? Obviously not.."

"Rose!" I shout, grabbing her wrists and pinning her to the wall.

"What?" she says, nearly crying.

"You're not the only one."

"What?"

"I love you too," I tell her, feeling as if a weight has been lifted off my chest. This seems to break through to her.

"You do?" she asks quietly. She looks up at me, meeting my eyes for the first time since we walked into the locker room. I nod slowly.

"Why didn't _you_ say anything?" she says, shoving me off of her. I'm half expecting her to start hitting me again, but instead she wraps her arms around me.

I sigh, relieved, and wrap my arms around her shoulders, holding her close to me.

"We can make this work, Rosie," I say in her ear. "Please."

"Ni, I don't want you getting hurt because of me."

"I'll be extra careful. Promise."

"You're gonna have to be more than careful," Rose replies.

"Does that mean we're not doing whatever you were trying to do?"

"Yeah, if you still want to be... us."

"I do."

"Good. I do too." She looks up at me. "Sorry for freaking out on you."

"You're alright," I reply.

"I'm just scared. I don't want you to get hurt because of me," she says quietly.

"I'll be alright, Rosie."

She blinks a couple times, then sorta smiles. "I love you."

I smile down at her. "I love you too."


	19. Chapter 19

**Rose**

"Is this okay?" I ask.

"Rosie, you'll look fine no matter what you wear," Niall groans from his spot on my bed. We're trying - well, _I'm_ trying - to find something to wear on Sunday. Which is tomorrow.

Niall asked me to go to church with him again, and I said I would this time. I wasn't sure last time, I wasn't completely sure if he was serious about this - about us.

However, when I asked him what I was supposed to wear, he wasn't very specific. Hence the mini fashion show going on. I've been trying out every outfit I have, only to get the same reaction each time.

"What about this one?" I ask, stepping out of the bathroom in another dress.

He turns to glance at me, almost immediately looking back out the window. Then he pauses, looking back at me.

"Whoah."

"You like it?" I ask, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear. He nods, not taking his eyes off me.

It's not anything fancy, just a short sleeved dress. The top half is white and lacey, with a peach skirt and a small tan ribbon around the waist. I don't even remember when I got it, but I've had it in the back of my closet forever.

"Is this... okay to wear?" He nods.

"Yeah, that's uh..." he clears his throat. "That's fine."

"Okay. Then I'll wear this. Is there anything else I need to know?" I ask, walking over to stand by where he's sitting. He looks up at me, a smile on his face.

"I love you."

The next morning, I pull into the crowded parking lot, and nervously look around until I see Niall walking out toward me. I climb out of my truck just as he gets to where I am. He greets me with a kiss, wrapping his arms around me.

"Well, hello to you too," I say with a smile.

"Sorry, I missed you."

"I saw you yesterday silly," I giggle.

"I know. I still missed you," he says with a smile, pulling me into him. "We should get inside, the service starts soon."

"Okay," I say, suddenly nervous.

"You'll be alright," he says, taking my hand and pulling me with him into the large brick building.

As soon as I walk in, there's people surrounding me. The entryway is crowded, and I cling to Niall, not wanting to lose him.

He leads me through another pair of doors, and I'm thankful that this room isn't as crowded or loud as the previous one.

"Are you alright?" he asks, turning to look at me.

"Yeah, I'm good," I reply, shyly tucking myself into his side.

"Good," he says with a smile.

"Niall, who's this pretty girl you've got with you?" an elderly woman asks, walking over to us.

"Good morning Mrs. Jenkins," Niall replies, "this is Rose, my girlfriend."

"Oh, so this is the girl your mother's always talking about?" Niall nods. "Well, aren't you two just the cutest thing!"

I smile politely, my fingers gripping Niall's arm a little tighter. He catches my silent sign of nerves and glances down at me.

"Well, we're going to go get situated, I'll see you after the service," he says with a smile. Then he tugs me over to where people are starting to sit, leading me up to the front and pulling me into one of the benches.

"She seems nice," I say quietly, wringing my hands together.

"She is pretty nice, she just likes to gossip," Niall says, taking a hardcover book from the rack in front of us. He grabs another one and hands it to me.

"What's this for?" I ask.

"This," he says, opening it for me and turning to a specific page, "is the hymnal. It helps you follow along. Tells you the words to say."

He starts showing me which service they're using today, and shows me where the different hymns are, and I can't shake the feeling that I'm going to mess something up and get pointed out for being an outsider.

"Rosie, are you alright?" I hear Niall ask. He's stopped rambling and is looking at me with a concerned look on his face.

"Maybe?" I reply, as if I don't really know the answer.

"I'm right here if you need anything. Just hit me or something. But don't like, actually hit me, that's not what I meant, I was just saying -"

I giggle, and he stops talking.

"You talk a lot," I say with a smile.

"But I got you to laugh," he points out. I shrug, silently agreeing with him.

"So who are all these people?" I ask, looking around curiously.

"Well, that family over there..." he starts to ramble again, telling me which kids go with which pair of adults, and which ones are annoying or not.

Before I know it, there's music filling the large room, and everyone's standing. I copy them, still not quite sure of what to do.

**Niall**

Rose still clings to my side as we walk out of the sanctuary, the service over.

"It wasn't that bad, was it?" I ask, and I feel her shake her head.

"I had no fff-... clue what I was doing, but yeah, it wasn't that bad."

She glances up at me, her cheeks turning red as she catches herself. I give her a fake stern look, and she giggles, pressing closer to me.

"Did I almost hear what I think I did?" Harry's voice says from behind us. "Rose, you're not supposed to swear in church!" he whispers harshly, a joking smile on his face.

"I didn't do it though!" Rose giggles.

"You almost did though," I say, tickling her side.

"Ni!"

The next day, we're at school, and I catch word of a party coming up. I don't think much of it until Rose asks me about it in biology.

"Did you want to go?" I reply.

"I dunno. I'll go if you go," she says.

"It's a school night, and it goes until midnight."

"We wouldn't have to stay the whole time. It'll be fun," she says. I shrug. It does sound like it would be fun.

"We have to figure out something to tell my parents," I say, watching as her face lights up. "But I'm up for it."


	20. Chapter 20

**Niall**

A few weeks later...

"Alright Ma, I'm going," I call, looking around the house for her. Rose and I had worked it out so that I would tell my parents that I was staying at a friend's, and I would be able to spend the night over at Rose's house.

"In here Niall," I hear her voice say from the laundry room. I wander toward the sound, and see her pulling clean clothes from the dryer.

"Do you have everything you need?" she asks. I nod. "Alright. Have fun. Don't stay up too late. No prank calls, no girls, no drinking, the usual. Call if you need anything. And make sure that you're at school on time tomorrow."

"Of course Ma," I say with a smile. "Don't have too much fun while I'm gone."

"Don't worry about us. Have fun." She hugs me goodbye, and I make my way out the door to my car, throwing my bag into the passenger seat. I start my car, then pull out of the driveway, pulling out my phone and calling Rose.

"Heeello?" I smile when I hear her answer.

"Hey Rosie. I'm on my way, should be there in about ten minutes."

"Okay. I cleaned the house, so there's nothing for you to trip over this time." I can hear the teasing smile in her voice as she refers to the time when I was trying to be smooth and walk backwards in front of her and ended up falling. She ended up on top of me, so in reality it wasn't all that bad.

"That was one time! And that trash can came out of nowhere!"

"Sure, and I'm the queen," she laughs.

"Well, your majesty, I just wanted to let you know I was on my way. I will be hanging up now so I can drive," I say with a posh accent.

"Your majesty. I like that... but yeah, I'll see you soon, Ni. Love you."

"Love you too Rose," I reply. I hang up, then set my phone on top of my bag, continuing down the road to Rose's house.

When I pull into the driveway, I notice the absence of her truck. When I see it across the street, I become confused.

Deciding to ask Rose, I grab my bag and walk up the steps to the front door.

I knock, and almost immediately the door opens, Rose's smile coming into view.

"Hey Ni," she says.

"Hi Rosie," I reply, sliding an arm around her waist and pulling her in for a kiss. She stands on her tiptoes and wraps her arms around my neck, pulling me closer.

"You excited for this?" she asks as she pulls me inside, closing the door. I nod.

"It's the first non-church party I'll be going to."

"Oh! We got a rebel up in here!" We both laugh.

"So, it doesn't start for another hour or so... whaddya wanna do?" she asks, raising an eyebrow.

We watched a few movies, until Rose said it was time to go, then we climbed into her truck (which, by the way, was on the other side of the road so that I could park farther up in her driveway and that way we could take her truck to the party.) and drove off down the road.

When we get there, Rose takes my hand, and we walk to the door.

"Alright... um... don't take any drinks from anyone - except me, cause I won't drug you or anything - don't do anything crazy. If you want to leave, tell me."

I nod. "Okay."

"I just don't want you to get hurt or anything..." I smile.

"I'll probably stay with you the whole time."

Rose smiles, then pulls me through the door, the smell of smoke and alcohol filling my nose, making me cough.

Almost immediately a cup is thrust into my hand, and I see that Rose is the one that handed it to me, and that she has one as well.

"What is this?" I ask, shouting to be heard over the loud music.

"Beer. Good stuff." Rose tips her cup, taking a long drink of whatever is in it. She then looks at me.

"You gonna drink?" she asks.

I shrug. I've never drank before.

"Don't tell me you haven't had a beer before," Rose says. I shake my head. "Come on, you're Irish!"

"That doesn't mean anything," I reply. I look at the cup's contents, and decide it doesn't look too bad. Maybe just one sip... it can't hurt, right?

I feel Rose's eyes on me as I take a small sip, my nose wrinkling at the smell. It burns as it goes down my throat, but it's not too bad.

I see Rose raise an eyebrow, silently asking if I liked it, and I take another drink, this time letting more of the cool liquid fill my mouth.

When I pull my cup from my face, I see her smirk. Then she raises her cup, and we drink together.

After about a cup and a half, my head starts feeling a little fuzzy. I set my current cup down on the counter, then take Rose's hand in mine.

"My head feels funny," I say into her ear.

"You're drunk, silly," she giggles. "Come on, let's go dance."

She wraps her hand around my arm, pulling me toward where other people are dancing. The music is louder over here, but I like it. I can feel the beat pulsing through me.

I can also feel Rose. She's right in front of me, pulling my hands to her hips, which sway from side to side with the beat. She wraps her arms around my neck, smiling up at me.

I love Rose. She's so cute.

Then the song changes, along with Rose's dancing. She slides closer to me, her body pressing against mine. Her hips change rhythm, moving to grind up against mine. Her hands slide down my chest, stopping at my jeans, her fingers hooking into my belt loops to pull me even closer.

I lean down, nudging her nose with mine, feeling the sparks fly once she puts her lips on mine.

She doesn't stop dancing, if anything she moves more, pushing her hips onto mine, rubbing against me.

My hands grip her hips tighter, wanting her to be closer to me. There isn't an inch of space between us anywhere, but it's not enough. I want more.

"Rose..." I breathe, pulling away for mere seconds before reconnecting our lips.

I can't wait any longer. I'm ready for this.

"Can we go back to your house?" I ask breathlessly. Her eyes get wide, as if she's surprised I asked. I'm surprised at what I said.

"Are you sure?"

I nod. I'm ready. She grins, pulling me toward the door we walked through not even twenty minutes ago.

The cool night air clears my head a little, and my head feels less fuzzy than before.

"Can you drive?" I ask Rose as we climb into her truck. She nods.

"I didn't drink half as much as you did."

I'm not sure what it is that's possessed me, but I reach over, grabbing the back of her neck and pulling her over so I can kiss her. She immediately responds, her fingers threading into my hair and holding me close to her.

"Not that I don't like this, but if we keep going we won't make it to my house," she mutters against my lips.

I pull her back for one more kiss, then let her go so she can drive.

The way back to her house seems longer than the ride to the party, and my stomach is doing somersaults the whole time in anticipation.

Will I be good at this? Am I going to make a fool of myself? Before I know it, I've almost talked myself out of it. But then I look at Rose, and the feeling of need is back.

She pulls in the driveway, parking behind my car, and unbuckles her seatbelt, staying in her seat.

"Are you absolutely sure? This isn't something you can take back," she asks softly.

I take her hand in mine.

"I've never been more sure of anything, Rose."

She grins. "Good. Let's go inside."


	21. Chapter 21

**Niall**

 

We climb out of Rose's truck, lacing our fingers together as we make our way to the door.

Once it's open, we go inside, kicking off our shoes, and I push Rose up against the now closed door, kissing her. She slides her fingers into my hair, pulling and tugging at the roots. 

She sighs into my mouth, hooking her leg up over my hip, using her leg to pull me into her. I tentatively roll my hips onto hers, resulting in a groan from her.  

I slide my hands down her body, stopping at her hips. She hops up, wrapping both legs around me, and I almost lose my balance. I catch myself, however, and lean forward so her back is against the door. 

She pulls back a bit to catch her breath, then her lips move down to my neck.

"Bedroom," she mutters lowly. I slide my hands under her thighs, then push off the door, carrying her through the small house to her room. 

Once we get past the doorway and into the dark room, I kick the door shut, stumbling around trying to find her bed. I end up running into it, and we both fall onto the soft mattress. 

"Do you... want the light on?" Rose asks breathlessly. I shake my head. I can see just fine like this. 

"Are you sure you wanna do this?" she asks, taking my face in her hands. I nod, and she narrows her eyes at me.

"Say it."

"I'm sure," I say, leaning closer to her. She smiles, her pearly white teeth glinting in the low light. 

"I love you Ni," she says. I grin. 

"And I love you, Rose."

She smiles wider, then I press my lips to hers again. She slides her hands under my shirt, running her hands over my chest and stomach, fire following her touch. I slip my hands under her shirt, moving them up to cup her breasts without hesitation. She moans into my mouth, and I can feel myself harden above her.  

I pull away, pulling her with me to sit up on the bed, and I grasp the hem of her shirt, gently tugging it over her head, tossing it onto the floor without taking my eyes off of Rose. She's wearing that red bra again...

She smiles, then moves to pull my shirt over my head, her eyes on my face as she drops it on the floor beside hers.

"Fuck, Ni..."

 Then she leans over, her lips coming into contact with my neck. She kisses her way down my abdomen, licking and nipping at my skin, stopping just above the waistband of my jeans. Her dark eyes flick up to meet mine, and I watch as she undoes my belt, then pops the button on my jeans, holding eye contact with me the whole time as she drags the zipper down.

Her small hand slides itself down the front of my jeans, palming me. My hands grip her shoulders, wanting something to hang on to, as I let out a low moan.

"That's it Ni. Let it out," she whispers hotly in my ear.

"Rose..." I moan. 

She squeezes my shaft, and my hips buck forward into her hand. Rose leans forward, her swollen lips connecting with the skin on my shoulder. She takes the skin between her teeth, then begins sucking, sure to leave a love bite.

I'm getting close already, I can feel it. Then she suddenly pulls her hand away, pulling me on top of her as she lays down on the bed again. 

My hands go to her jeans, undoing the button and zipper before pulling them down off of her legs as our lips meet in a messy, passionate kiss. 

I feel her hands pulling my jeans down, and they soon join the pile of discarded clothes on the floor, leaving us both in our underwear.

I move my hands behind her, and she arches her back off of the mattress so I can slide my left hand up to the clasp on her bra, unlatching it with shaky fingers. Rose slides her arms from the straps, letting the clothing fall to the floor. 

She slides her hands onto my shoulders, pulling me down as she arches her back, pressing our bare chests together. 

"Rose..." I growl out, feeling almost animalistic in my need for her. I slide my hands down to her hips, hooking my unsure fingers into her panties, then slowly start to pull them off of her. 

After her feet slide out of them, I drop the fabric on the floor, then sit back and look at the naked Rose in front of me. Her hair is fanned out on the pillows, a smile on her face as she watches me curiously. 

I feel as if I should say something, tell her something, but I can't find the words. It's like my brain's taken a vacation, and the only thing I can think about is getting back on top of Rose. Running my hands over every inch of her, feeling every dip and curve of her soft skin.

She reaches for me, and I crawl over her, letting her slot her fingers between mine. 

"Do you really want to do this?" she asks, her voice low.

"Yes," I reply, my voice huskier than usual. "I love you, Rose. "

She pulls my face down to hers, our lips barely brushing. "I love you too."

Her eyes darken, turning almost black with lust. She moves a hand to my boxers, sliding her thumb into the elastic band at the top, and removes the final barrier between our bodies. 

I didn't think I would be in this situation until after marriage. I didn't think it would be with Rose. I thought it would be with a girl who goes to church regularly, has a good job as a school teacher or something normal and feminine like that. 

But I wouldn't trade anything for this moment here with Rose. My Rosie.

She kisses me again, and I take the opportunity to slide into her slick, wet opening. This feeling is like nothing I've ever felt before. Even the feeling of my shaft inside her mouth can't compare with it. I push about halfway in, then still, focusing more on the kiss than anything else.

"Farther, Ni," Rose begs. "Go farther." 

I push myself farther in, until I'm completely inside her. She moans, a low, guttural sound that goes straight to my groin. I begin to feel a slow throb in my length, gradually becoming more and more prominent.

"Move Ni. Please," she whimpers, her small hands clawing at my back. I slide back, slowly pulling myself out of her. I groan at how tight she is around me. It makes the whole experience better. Once I'm most of the way out, I slide back in, Rose's hips bucking upward to meet mine. She moans again, and the room seems to get hotter. 

"Niall..." her voice is rough as she says my name. I continue to push in and pull out, finding a rhythm that seems to satisfy both of us rather quickly. I lower myself onto my forearms, kissing at her neck as she pants and moans beneath me. 

She lifts one of her legs, and my hand grabs ahold of it, hooking her ankle over my shoulder. The next time that I slide in, her entire body convulses, and she lets out a small scream.

"Do that again, please Ni," she pleads. I repeat the action, and she throws her head back, her back arching, pushing her breasts into my face. I cup her left breast in my hand and roll the nipple between my thumb and forefinger, making Rose gasp. I take the other between my teeth, circling the sensitive nub with my tongue. I can feel her pulse racing under my fingers. Her hands tug at the roots of my hair, another sinfully low moan leaving her mouth.

I feel the now familiar coil of my lower stomach muscles, and begin to move in and out of her faster. Sweat begins to drip from my hair, and I notice a sheen of perspiration covering Rose's creamy skin. 

"Ni... I'm close," she pants. 

"Me too," I reply, my forehead falling onto her shoulder as her nails rake down my back, intensifying the pleasure. 

"Harder, please," Rose begs. I push into her harder, and she screams. "Yes Ni! Right there!"

I keep thrusting harder, grunting into her shoulder. I feel her clenching around me, and I know I can't hold it back for much longer.

"Rose," I moan in her ear. "Let go." I thrust one more time, as hard as I can, going as deep as possible, and I feel her fall apart around me, her body shaking and convulsing,  propelling me into my release as she screams my name. I shoot into her, holding her as close to me as I can as I ride out my orgasm. 

As I come back down from my high, I feel her hands on my face. I look at her as her leg falls limply from my shoulder, landing on her mattress with a soft thud.

She smiles, strands of her wet hair sticking to her face and neck.

"I love you Ni," she says, her voice sounding completely wrecked.

I nudge her nose with mine. "I love you too, Rosie," I breathe. 

She leans up, kissing me softly. I lazily kiss her back, pulling completely out of her and laying on the soft mattress beside her. She wraps her leg around me again, pulling me into her with her leg and running her fingers through my sweaty hair. 

When we both run out of breath, which doesn't take long, we pull apart, still staying close to each other. We don't talk, mostly because we're still out of breath, but also because we don't need to. Our eyes do the talking for us, along with the small smiles and touches.

Rose nuzzles her nose into my neck, and I feel her eyelashes flutter against my skin as she closes her eyes. I wrap my arms around her, feeling Rose lay her hands on my chest. I pull the blankets over both of us, then rest my chin on top of her head, letting myself drift off into a contented sleep.


	22. Chapter 22

**Rose**

 

I wake up from the bright light shining through the thin curtains covering my window. I stretch, my muscles feeling deliciously sore, probably a result of mine and Niall's activities last night. 

He's laying behind me, his front against my back, his arm slung over my waist as he sleeps, his breath tickling the back of my neck.

Last night was absolutely amazing. I wasn't sure what to expect, but he certainly didn't disappoint. I don't know why he was nervous. He's the best I've ever had.

I feel him begin to stir behind me, and soon his eyelashes brush against my skin as his eyes open.

"Morning," I hear him say as he nuzzles into my neck. 

"Morning," I reply. "Did you sleep well?"

"Quite well. I wonder why." 

"I had absolutely nothing to do with that, I assume." 

"What time is it?" 

I sit up a little to look at my clock. 

"Eleven thirty," I tell him, falling back onto the pillows.

"What? I have to go to school! I've never missed a day!" He tries to sit up, but is held down by my arm. I swing a sore leg over him and sit on his stomach, letting the sheets fall off of me.

"You'll be fine. One day won't kill you. You missed most of your classes already anyway," I assure him.

"But... my mother. She'll want to know where I am, why I wasn't at school - "

I put a finger over his lips, silencing him. 

"Here's what you tell her. I was on my way to school, my truck broke down, I called you. You towed me over to the mechanic, and you, being the nice guy you are, stayed with me the whole time. You're sorry you didn't call her earlier, but the place you were in didn't have service." 

"But, what if-"

"If she wants proof, she can look under the hood. The engine block got replaced two days ago. Still looks new. She'll buy it, trust me." 

"What about my father?" 

"Tell him the same thing. He'll probably be glad you helped somebody." 

He gives me a skeptical look.

"Would you rather tell them the truth? That you got drunk and went home with a girl?"

"I wasn't that drunk," he corrects with a pout.

"Tipsy then."

"That sounds girly. But alright."

"Good boy. You want a shower?" 

"Only if you're in there with me." He slides his hands up my legs, gripping my backside.

I grin. "Oh, how I have corrupted you..." 

He grins back, leaning up to kiss me.

"So how are you?" he asks when we pull apart.

"Sore. But I'm good." He tilts his head to one side, as if he doesn't understand why. "I haven't been bent that way for a long time, Ni," I elaborate. 

I see it click in his mind, and his expression quickly becomes one of worry.

"I didn't hurt you, did I?" he asks. I shake my head.

"No, I'm fine. Don't worry about it."

He nods, then smirks.

"So... how about that shower?"

I laugh, then roll off of him so he can get up. 

"Go right ahead, I'll be in there in a minute."

He stands, still completely naked, and looks at me.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"I am now," I say, shamelessly checking him out while biting my lip. His face gets red, but he makes no move to cover himself. He just smiles, then turns and walks toward the bathroom, closing the door halfway behind him. 

I lazily roll over, pulling the blankets back on top of myself again, waiting for the water to start running before I drag myself out of the warm cocoon of sheets. My legs are a little shaky as I walk to the bathroom, and I have to grab ahold of some of the furniture a couple times to keep from falling.

I slide into the bathroom, quietly closing the door behind me. When I don't see Niall outside of the shower, I assume he's in it. 

I make my way over, then pull back the curtain, stepping into the steamy shower. 

Sure enough, Niall is in there, lathering shampoo into his hair with his back to me. 

Maybe I want to scare him a little, or maybe I just want to be close to him. Which ever the reason, I step forward, sliding my fingers into his hair and pressing up against his back.

He jumps at the contact, then relaxes, his soapy hands moving to reach behind him and pull me closer. Then he turns around, pressing his lips to mine. I scratch at his scalp with my fingernails, and he groans lowly, the sound reverberating from the back of his throat making me shudder against him. 

He slides his soapy hands all over my back, then moves one over the curve of my backside to grip the back of my thigh, pulling it up to hook my knee over his hip. 

My hands have gone from lathering soap in his hair to tugging at the roots. Niall backs me against the shower wall, the tiles cold against my back, and I press closer to him as he holds me to the wall. 

The heat radiating from him in contrast with the chill from the wall behind me makes my head spin as I pull him impossibly close, hopping up to wrap both legs around him.

"Can we - are you okay with - ?" he tries to ask, interrupting himself by kissing me. I get what he's asking though, and nod, muttering a 'yeah.'

I can feel him harden against my leg, his erection stuck between us, held against his stomach by my thigh. 

"Like this?" he asks. I nod, my mouth moving to his neck. 

"Rose..." he groans as I bite at his shoulder. He grips my hips, then lifts me higher, freeing his shaft and lining me up. I have to say, I like that he can just hold me up like this. 

I gasp as he slides in, smooth and even, filling me completely. He kisses me, distracting me from some of the stinging pain I feel. He stays inside me, just holding me in place for a moment. Then he pulls back.

"How does this work?" he asks. I set my hands on top of his shoulders.

"Lift me up again," I tell him. He does as I say, both of us groaning as he slides out. "Then back down," I say, shuddering as I slide back down. "That's how it works." 

He nods, then lifts me again. This time he isn't as careful with letting me down easy, and thrusts in harder than before.  

"Niall!" I scream. 

"Are you alright?" he asks, his worried eyes meeting mine.

I nod. It didn't hurt, it was just so... intense. 

"Do it again," I plead shakily. He nods, biting his lip. He tightens his grip on my hips, then lifts me up again. He slams into me, making my head hit the wall behind me.

"Keep going, don't stop," I pant, already out of breath.

He starts pounding into me, quickly bouncing me up and down on his shaft. The hot water glides over us, washing away the sweat oozing from both of our bodies. Niall attaches his mouth to the skin below my collarbone, sucking a mark into the flesh. 

From there on out its all teeth and nails. My hands slide down his shoulders, clawing at his back as my mouth finds his ear, biting down on it. He slides down to my chest, licking up the valley of my breasts before taking a nipple between his teeth, pulling it toward himself and then letting it go, watching as it bounces back. He does this several times, until both nipples are red and raw.

"Do you like it like this?" he grunts against my throat. "Do you like it rough?" 

"Yes," I moan, tugging at his hair. "Fuck, yes." 

"You swear a lot," he groans.

"You like it," I mutter in his ear. "You like my filthy mouth." 

"Is it bad if I do?" he asks.

"No," I gasp as he begins biting my neck, "it's not." 

He groans again, giving me an idea.

"Do you want it around you? Do you want your dick in my filthy mouth?" I murmur in his ear. He moans loudly, and I can feel him growing, swelling even more inside me. "You like this? Do you like when I talk dirty to you?" 

"Rose," he says loudly, his length beginning to twitch inside me. I slide my hands everywhere I can reach on him, saying all the dirty things I want to do with him in his ear. He grips my hips even tighter, his fingers sure to leave bruises on my skin, and within seconds he's gone, falling into oblivion and taking me with him, both of us moaning loudly. 

He kisses me, sliding out of me and setting me on the floor of the shower. I keep my hands on his shoulders to steady myself, otherwise I'd probably fall over.

"Are you alright?" he asks.

"Yeah," I nod, "just a little wobbly. That was the best ever."


	23. Chapter 23

**Niall**

 

“So we should tell them,” Rose says as we lay on her bed. We both just woke up from an eventful night of fun. We pretty much got dressed, ate breakfast, and went back to bed. 

“Who?” I ask, my finger tracing along her hip where her shirt’s ridden up.

“Your parents. We should tell them what I really do. What my real job is,” she clarifies. 

“Oh.” I knew it would be hard to keep a secret for very long, but I was hoping we could wait a little longer before Rose wanted to tell them. “I suppose. But how would we do it? We can’t exactly just walk in and say ‘hey, Rose is a boxer at that arena at the other end of town. Just thought you should know.’” How do you tell someone something like that?”

“I’m not sure, but we should tell them. You can say you didn’t know, if you don’t want to get in the middle of it. It might keep you out of trouble,” she suggests. 

I shake my head. “Uh uh. I’m in this with you. We’re doing it together,” I argue. I take her hand in mine. “You _and_ me.”

A soft smile finds it’s way onto her face. “Alright. We’ll both tell them.”

She glances out the window for a second, then her eyes return to my face. Then her expression becomes serious, and she moves away from me, getting up off the bed and going to look out the window, pulling the curtain to the side.

“What’s wrong?” I ask, walking up behind her.

She shakes her head. “Nothing. I just thought I saw a car that looked familiar.”

She turns around, wrapping her arms around me, tucking her face into my chest. 

“Love you Ni,” she says, making me smile. 

“Love you too Rosie.”

There's a knock on the front door, and Rose startles. Her eyes are wide, like she knows what’s happening, and she isn’t ready for it.

"Scarlet, I know you're in there!" a voice calls from outside. Rose starts to pull me away from the window, glancing toward the door. 

"Ni, I know you aren’t gonna wanna do this, but stay here,” she says, pushing me into her closet. 

“Why? What’s going on?” I ask. 

“Just stay here, even if it sounds bad. Please.” She slides something cold and heavy into my hand. “Only use it if you have to,” she says, and then she’s gone, closing the closet door. 

What is going on? I look at what she gave me in the dim light shining through the crack between the door and the wall. Shiny metal, heavy with the weight of what it can do. I’m holding a gun. Why would she give me a gun?

“What do you want?” I hear Rose ask. 

“Who else is here?” a gruff voice asks.

“No one. It’s just me,” she replies. 

“Bullshit. Who’s car is outside?”

“Someone’s. It doesn’t run, they left it here until they could come back and get it,” she says.

“So you’re all alone?”

“Yes. What do you w-” Rose’s voice is cut off, a thud echoing through the small house. 

“Good,” the voice says. I hear footsteps walking through the house, getting closer to where I’m hiding like a coward. I stay quiet, praying that whoever this is doesn’t find me, and just leaves Rose alone. I hear the man walk into Rose’s room, and hold my breath as I see his shadow pass in front of the door. 

I let out a silent sigh of relief when I hear the footsteps fade away from me, going back out to where I assume Rose is. 

“What’s this?” he asks. 

“A shoe,” Rose answers sarcastically. 

“Whose shoe?”

“I dunno.”

“Yes you do, tell me!” he shouts. 

“Why does it matter?” she shouts back. 

There’s shuffling, and I assume they’re fighting or something.

I nudge the door open just a fraction of a centimeter, enough for me to see out, but not enough for anyone to see in. I can’t see anything except the pillows on Rose’s bed. Not very helpful. 

“Let me go!” Rose shouts. Her voice sounds closer than it did before. 

“Shut up,” the man says, and I hear a loud slap follow, filling me with anger. He’s hitting her. He’s hitting my girlfriend while I hide in here like a coward and do nothing about it. 

Rose cries out, but her voice is muffled, like he’s got his hand over her mouth. I hear things falling and breaking, but can’t see anything until a mess of brown hair appears on the bed. 

Then I see her face, her eyes wide and frightened as they dart over to me for just a fraction of a second before looking in front of her again. 

Her head turns sharply to the side as she’s slapped again, and it’s as if something inside me snaps. I can’t think straight, all I can see is red, and suddenly I’m so angry that I can’t stay here and hide anymore. 

I kick the closet door open, pointing the gun at the man on top of Rose. 

“Get your filthy hands off my girlfriend,” I snarl. 

“Oh, so you’re alone?” he asks Rose. 

“Get off her,” I order, my finger hooking over the trigger. 

“Alright, calm down pretty boy,” he says, slowly moving away from Rose, who stays where she is, frozen. 

Once he’s on his feet, I motion for him to walk out the door with a nod of my head. 

He does as he’s told, his hands in the air. I follow, keeping the gun pointed at the back of his head. 

“Ni?” I hear Rose call once I’m almost out the door.

“Not now,” I say.

As soon as we’re out of her room, I take a deep breath, readying myself for what I know I have to do. 

[ _Insert ominous thud here_ ]

His body falls to the ground, laying there unmoving. 

“Rose?” I ask. “Do you have any rope?”

When she doesn’t answer, I turn and walk back into her room. “Rose?”

She’s sitting on her bed, backed against the headboard, her face white, her eyes wild with fear. 

“Rosie…” I drop the gun, walking over to her and wrapping my arms around her. “Are you alright?”

She shakes her head, her wide eyes blinking. “Ni,” she whispers, clinging to me. 

“What?” 

“ ‘M scared.”

“You’re alright, I’m right here, nothing’s going to get you. I’ve got you, you’re safe,” I assure her, stroking her hair as I rock side to side.  

"Thank you," she says, so quietly that I barely hear it.


	24. Chapter 24

**Niall**

"And then I hit him over the head with the gun," I tell the officer, finishing my story. "And then I called you."

"Good choice young man," the officer replies, writing down what I said on his pad of paper. "Do you think the young lady can tell us anything?"

I look over at Rose, who still hasn't moved from her spot on the bed.

"I'm not sure. I'll ask her," I answer. "She was pretty shaken up from the whole thing though. She might not want to talk about it."

The officer nods. "I understand."

I nod in reply, then walk over to Rose, kneeling in front of where she's sitting.

"Rosie? They want to know if you want to tell them your side of what happened. Are you alright with that?" I ask softly. She looks over at me, the wild look still in her eyes, and nods silently, reaching out for me.

I move so that I'm sitting on the bed with her, and motion for the officer to come over as she climbs into my lap, pulling my arms so that they're wrapped around her.

"Are you alright to talk about this, Miss?" the officer asks as he pulls a chair over to sit on. Rose nods again.

She starts talking, telling everything that happened. There are only a couple times when she has to stop and compose herself before continuing. The amount of strength in this small girl never fails to amaze me.

After she finishes, the officer closes his notepad, sighing as he looks over at both of us.

"Well, thank you both for what you've told me. If there's anything else you think of, please call. We'll make sure he's locked up. In the meantime, Miss, you might want to stay somewhere else other than here, just in case."

I feel Rose nod, then turn and put her face in my neck.

"Thank you officer," I say as he walks out the door, leaving Rose and I alone in the house. Once I hear the front door shut, I move so that I'm sitting with my back against the headboard, still holding Rose close to me.

"Rosie?" I ask.

"Hmm?" she hums, sniffling.

"Are you really alright?"

"No," she sniffles, shaking her head.

"What's wrong? Can I help?"

"I can't... I can still feel his hands," she cries.

"What do you want?" I ask.

She moves so that she's looking up at me, her dark eyes watery.

"Make it go away."

The way she looks at me tells me what she means. I nod. "Alright," I say quietly, laying her down on the bed. "I'll make it go away."

She sniffles as I climb on top of her, holding myself up on my elbows so I don't squash her. A single tear falls down her cheek as I lean down to kiss her. I move slowly, making sure to give her enough warning before I do anything.

"Ni," she whimpers as I move to kiss her neck.

"Shhh, I've got you. You're safe, Rosie."

She clings to me, her small hands holding onto my shirt in tight fistfuls. I slowly slide my hands under her shirt, rubbing her soft skin, letting her get used to it.

Once she looks up at me and nods, letting me know that it's alright to keep going, I slowly undress her, making sure she knows it's me, talking to her the whole time, telling her whatever pops into my head.

"You're so small," I murmur. My body almost completely shields hers like this, if she tucked her arms in I could cover her completely.

Rose makes a small noise, almost like a whine, and tugs at my shirt.

"Hmm?" I hum into her neck.

"Off," she says quietly, pulling at the fabric again. She bites my ear, tugging at the skin as I pull back, sitting up to take my shirt off.

I toss the clothing off to the side, followed by my jeans and boxers, then move back over Rose again.

"Go slow," she asks quietly.

I nod, then slide into her as slowly as I can, watching as her mouth falls open, her hands gripping my arms tightly.

I lean down, one arm on either side of her, and press my face into her neck as I slowly slide in and out of her.

She slides her hands into into my hair, tugging lightly on it as she whimpers beneath me.

Afterward, I slide my arms around Rose, picking her up and carrying her into the bathroom, setting her down before turning on the water, making sure it's nice and warm. When the bathtub is full enough, I shut the water off and help Rose in, climbing in behind her.

She leans back against my chest, her head on my shoulder.

"Better?" I ask.

She nods. "Yeah. Thank you, Ni."

"You can stay with me," I offer.

"What?"

"He said you should stay somewhere else for a while. If my parents are okay with it, you can stay with me."

"Okay. That sounds fun."


	25. Chapter 25

**Rose**

 

The next day, when I go down to the arena, I tell Rafe about what happened. 

“So that’s what they were doing,” he mutters. 

“You knew about it?” I exclaim. 

“No, no, trust me, I had no clue what they were doing. I just heard that they had to go somewhere. That’s it. If I knew they were coming to you, I would have stopped them,” he says.

“So what do we do?” I ask. 

“If I were you, I’d stay somewhere other than your house for a while. Lay low, let it all blow over. I’ll get someone on it.”

“Would it be a bad idea to stay with Niall?” He offered, and I don’t mind his parents, if they’re alright with having me over for an extended stay.

“That might be a good place. He’s in the middle of town, right?” I nod. “That’s probably the safest. Does his family know about you being…” he trails off as I shake my head.

“We’re gonna tell them soon though,” I tell him. “We just have to figure out how.”

 

“So what is so important that you had to wait until both of us were here?” Niall’s mom asks as we all sit at their dining room table. 

“Well, there was a break-in at a house in Rose’s neighborhood,” Niall starts, telling them what we agreed on, “and the police advised everyone to stay somewhere safer for a few weeks, and I was wondering…”

“If Rose could stay here?” his father finishes. 

“Yes. Can she stay here?” Niall asks. 

"What about your parents, honey?" his mom asks.

"They're not home," I reply, giving them the standard answer.

“I think it would be alright,” his mom says. “What do you think?”

All of us turn to Niall’s father, waiting for his input. 

“I don’t know,” he says, shaking his head. 

“Please dad, I’m worried about her,” Niall pleads. “I don’t want her to get hurt.”

He slides his hand into mine, gripping my palm tightly. 

“I suppose. But she stays in a separate room from you. No sleepovers,” his father concedes. Niall turns to me with a smile. 

“And you still have to get all your work done. You can’t just spend all your time together,” he adds. 

I nod. 

 

After we’ve gotten a few bags full of my stuff from my house, Niall shows me to the guest room, which is across the hall from his room. 

“So no funny business is what your dad meant, right?” I ask as we put my stuff into the closet. 

“Yeah. He’s pretty strict about it now. It didn’t seem to bother him much before,” Niall replies. “Then you came along.” 

“Is that a bad thing?” I ask with a smile. 

He shakes his head.  

“No, it’s one of the best things.”

“Awww, look at you, being all cute!” I coo, reaching over to hug him. 

“Rose,” he whines, his face turning red. 

“Ni,” I reply, imitating him. 

“Stop it,” he groans. 

“Why?” 

“Cause I said so.” He starts tickling me, and in an attempt to get away, I fall on the floor. It doesn’t work though, because he just goes down with me, his hands never stopping their tickling torture as he straddles me, holding my legs down. 

“Ni!” I laugh. 

“What?”

“St-stop it!”

“Never!”

Someone clears their throat, and my head snaps around to see Niall’s father standing in the doorway. 

Suddenly this isn’t such a good spot to be in. This must look bad. 

We both scramble to our feet, our faces a bit redder than before. 

“Dad, that wasn’t…” Niall starts, but his father is already gone, walking down the hallway. 

“Oops.”


	26. Chapter 26

**Niall**

“Come on, they’re gonna be back soon,” I tell Rose. We’re working on our homework, or, we were. As of right now we’re taking a break. And since my parents aren’t home, Rose decided that now would be a good time to unzip my pants and swallow me down. 

We’ve had to tone down the steamy events for about a week, with my parents being as observant as they are, and considering that they think I’m still clueless about most of this stuff.

But it hasn’t been easy. I like to think we’ve been doing alright, sneaking around, carefully timing trips to the bathroom so that we ‘coincidentally’ end up in the same one for about five minutes. 

But today, we’ve been blessed with some alone time, and Rose is making the most of it. 

She’s half under the desk, kneeling in front of me as I sit in my chair. If someone walked in, I don’t think they’d be able to see her unless they walked around to the side of the desk that I’m on. 

Rose bobs her head faster, her eyebrows furrowed in concentration. 

"Easy, slow down babe," I tell her, sliding a hand into her hair. "Don't choke yourself." 

She waves me off, swatting my hand away, as if she wants to prove that she can handle it. 

She pulls back for a second to catch her breath, but then she's right back at it, slowly taking more and more of me into her mouth, literally swallowing as I feel my tip hit the back of her throat, then slowly start going down. 

“Rose…”

Her eyes flick up to look at me for a second, wide and blinking, before she returns to her task, and before I know it, I feel her nose press into my stomach. 

Just as the front door opens. 

Rose pulls off quickly, her small hand going to work as she looks up at me.

“Paperclip,” she says quietly. 

“What?”

“Toss a paperclip down here,” she elaborates. Then her mouth is around me again, and I’m scrambling to keep my thoughts coherent enough to reach over and grab a paperclip off of my desk, dropping it onto the floor next to Rose. 

She works me through my orgasm, then I somehow manage to look halfway normal when my father knocks on the open door of my room. 

“Niall?”

“What?” I ask, picking up my pen and sliding backward when Rose taps my leg.

“Where’s Rose?” 

“Here,” she says quietly, slowly standing up. “I dropped a paperclip, and had to look for it,” she adds innocently. 

My father looks at her a little skeptically, but seems to buy her line, telling us that he brought home pizza for dinner. 

When Rose comes back from the arena the next night, she crawls into my bed, shaking my shoulder gently. 

“Ni? Are you awake?”

“Yeah?” I answer, rolling over to face her. 

“Rafe told me they got him,” she says quietly. 

“They got the guy who was in your house?”

I see her nod in the dark. 

“But he says we should be careful still, just in case.”

“Are you gonna go home?”

“I don’t know. Not yet, but I’ll have to soon.”

I wrap my arms around her. 

“You should just stay here,” I tell her. 

“That would be fun, but I don’t think your parents like me being in the same house as you all the time.”

“Not all the time, we still go to school,” I protest. She giggles. “And there’s, like six hours there that I can’t even see you because of the walls.”

“Those are the worst six hours of the day,” she mutters. 

 "Only two more weeks, and then we're done," I reply. 


	27. Chapter 27

**Rose**

"So darling, when am I going to meet your parents?" Niall's mother asks, for about the fifteenth time this week. "You say that they're always gone, where do they go?"

I take a deep breath, glancing over at Niall, who looks at me sympathetically. He knows how much this conversation makes me want to cry.

"Do you want to go see them?" I ask, deciding to put an end to the questions.

"That would be lovely!" she exclaims. "When do you think we can?"

I sigh. "We can go right now, if you want."

Niall frowns at me, confused. He knows the truth, so I don't expect anything different.

"Alright, just let me go get my purse," his mother says excitedly. She walks out of the room, and Niall walks over to me.

"What are you doing?" he asks.

"I'm gonna take her to see my parents," I say evenly.

"But... I thought..." he trails off.

I nod. "Yeah. We're going to go see where they are."

"Do you want me to come with you?" he asks. I nod.

"Please."

About five minutes later, we're in Niall's car, with Niall driving. I'm sitting in the passenger seat, telling him when to turn, and his mother is in the back, chattering about how it'll be so nice to meet them, and she hopes she looks alright, and how I'm such a lovely girl, perfect for Niall.

I don't say a whole lot, trying to prepare myself to be where I haven't gone since the day of the funeral.

"This driveway," I tell Niall quietly. He turns the car onto the dirt path, reaching over to grasp my hand in his. In the backseat, his mother goes quiet.

"Left," I say when we get to the first fork in the driveway. "Then right."

Once I see the tall stone on top of the hill, I tell Niall to stop. I take a deep breath, letting it out in a huff. Then I turn to Niall's mother.

"You ready?"

"Dear, are you sure we're in the right place?" she asks. I nod.

"Yeah, they're here." I try to smile. "Come on."

We get out of the car, and I start walking toward the small building that's next to the driveway.

"Are you sure about this?" Niall asks quietly when he catches up to me. His mother is a few paces behind us, looking around.

I nod. "Yeah. I'm sure."

When I reach the large stone that has my parent's names on it, I stop, not looking at the large marker.

"Is this...?" I hear Niall's mother ask.

"Yep. We're here," I reply.

I hear her gasp as she looks down at the stone in front of my feet.

"Oh, honey..."

I turn to look at her.

"They died in a car crash when I was sixteen," I say quietly, my eyes starting to tear up. I feel Niall wrap an arm around me, pulling me into him.

I feel Niall's mother join us in the hug.

"I'm sorry darling," she says, sniffling.

"It's okay. You didn't know," I reply.


	28. Chapter 28

**Niall**

After Rose and my mother have stopped crying and apologizing to each other, we get back into the car and go home.

And when we get there, my father is waiting for us.

"Where did you go?" he asks curiously.

"We went to... see Rose's parents," my mother says. "At the cemetery."

"What?' he asks, a bit confused. My mother excuses herself, still a little teary eyed. Then my father turns to Rose and I for an explanation.

"We went to see where my parents are buried," Rose explains quietly. "They're dead."

The emotionless tone that she uses just cuts right through me, because I know she's trying really hard not to cry. I wrap an arm around her, feeling better when she leans into me, seeking comfort.

My father looks between us, his eyebrows furrowing.

"Can I talk to you two for a moment?"

He doesn't wait for an answer before turning and walking into his study. Rose looks curiously up at me and I shrug, not knowing any more than she does.

We follow him, sitting in the two chairs across from him at his desk.

He looks at Rose first.

"Is there anything else you need to tell anyone?" he asks. I look up at him, stunned that he would just ask something like that.

"Dad, that's not-" I start.

"No Ni, it's okay," Rose says. "There is something, actually."

She turns back to my father.

"I don't really work in the ticket booths at the arena. I'm one of the boxers," she says, her voice calm and confident. "I was trying to figure out a good time to tell everyone, that's why I didn't tell you sooner."

"So you lied?" he asks. I feel Rose sigh.

"Yes, I did. But-"

"Have you lied about anything else?" he interrupts.

Rose looks up at him, her expression tired. "No sir, I haven't lied about anything else. Those were the only things."

My father is silent for a moment.

"I want you out of my house."

"Dad!" I exclaim. "She hasn't done anything wro-"

"She lied to me. And now I'm not sure if we can trust her," he says evenly.

"I'll be fine, Ni," Rose says dejectedly. "I need to go back home anyway." She stands, quietly making her way out of the room.

I turn angrily to my father.

"She hasn't done anything wrong, Dad. She only said those things to make a good impression. She didn't want you to think anything bad about her."

"Is that where you've been when you go visit her? Down at that arena?" he asks, ignoring my words.

"Yes, it is. And I've watched her fights. She doesn't talk to anyone except her trainer, and she doesn't do any of the stuff that the other boxers do. She only goes there for her fight, then she leaves. She's hardly there for more than half an hour."

"That's not the point. If she was honest with me -"

"If she was honest with you from the beginning, you would have told her to leave the second she said it," my mother says from the doorway. "She's a nice girl. She just doesn't have the money to support herself. She has to work for it somehow."

My father looks at her in shock.

"You're on their side too?"

"Yes. Rose has been nothing but polite and kind whenever she's been here. I can't speak for her when she's anywhere else, but I would guess that it would be the same."

"But she lied. And liars have no place in my house," my father says stubbornly.

This is it. I can't take anymore.

"If Rose goes, I go."

Both my parents turn to look at me.

"What did you say?" my father asks lividly.

"You heard me. If Rose has to leave, I'm going with her."

"You are not," he replies.

"Then Rose stays."

"No, she is leaving."

"Then I'll go pack my bags," I say as I stand to my feet, walking out the door.

"Niall James Horan, you come back here!" I hear my father order, but this time I don't turn around. I've made my decision.

I walk into my room and start shoving things into a bag, packing up my clothes and shoes.

"Are you in trouble?" I hear a small voice ask. I turn around and see Rose standing in the doorway. Her eyes are red, and she holds a small duffel bag in her hand.

When I don't answer, she walks over to me.

"You don't have to leave because I have to leave," she says. "You should stay here."

"I don't want to stay here if you can't. I want to be with you," I reply.

I can hear my parents arguing in another room, and I wince.

"I feel awful," Rose says. "I'm making a mess of your family."

"You're alright," I say as I wrap my arms around her small body. "My Dad's just stubborn and doesn't see things the same way."

"But that doesn't mean you should have to go," Rose says quietly, her voice muffled because her face is hidden in my chest. "You have a family. With your parents. You shouldn't give that up because of me."

"She's right," another voice says from the doorway. I look up and see my mother standing there. "You've got a chance for a good future, Niall." She looks at Rose with a fond smile. "So do you, Rose. I don't believe any of what he's saying," she says, referring to my father. "You're a nice girl, with a good head on your shoulders. I understand why you didn't tell us right away."

Rose half smiles at her. "Thank you. I didn't mean to be dishonest, I just -"

"Wanted to make a good impression," my mother finishes with a smile. "You've made a very good impression with us, Rose. He's just being stubborn," she assures Rose.

"For Christ's sake!" I hear my father say. He walks into my room, joining the rest of us. "She can stay. But you, young man, are grounded for a week for that attitude."

After he's finished giving his orders, he walks out of the room, my mother following him with a knowing smile. He heard us talking.

Rose looks up at me.

"You should unpack your bag," she says quietly. "You don't have to go anywhere."

I smile down at her. "Neither do you."


	29. Chapter 29

**Rose**

The next few weeks pass in a blur, hardly giving me time to wrap my head around the fact that it actually happened and it wasn't all just a dream.

I moved back into my house, not that I really took much out of it. It still feels like home, but there's something missing that I didn't notice before, and I can't quite put my finger on.

Niall and I graduated, along with May and the rest of our class. His mother insisted that we have a shared graduation party, and I wasn't going to turn her down, not when she already had decorations that were our favorite colors, blue and red, spread out all over the kitchen table and counters.

So that happened, without much of a fuss. Except the one about what dress I was going to wear. Niall's mother also insisted on me getting a new one, and she went with me to go get it, also getting a new dress for herself. I spent an entire month's paycheck on a bright red and white polka dotted dress that Niall says looks very cute on me.

I'm wearing it right now, actually, as Niall and I walk down the sidewalk to where Niall parked his car. We've just come back from dinner at a restaurant with Harry, May, and Liam. We all dressed up to go out and order pizza, just for fun.

"So, I was thinking," Niall starts.

"A dangerous habit," I reply with a grin. "You didn't hurt yourself, did you?"

He laughs, nudging me with his shoulder. "No silly. I was thinking about you. What are you going to do about college, with the whole boxing thing?"

I've been waiting for this to come up.

"I'm not quite sure," I admit. "I was thinking of going until the end of the season, and then calling it good, but I'm not sure I want to stop. It's kind of become part of me, you know?" I ask, looking up at him.

He nods, his face thoughtful. "Is there some sort of big thing at the end of the season or something?" he asks.

"Yeah, there's a sort of tournament type deal. Rafe says that I'm eligible if I want to fight in it. He says I've got a good shot at winning if I'm lucky," I reply, swinging our joined hands back and forth.

"When is that?"

"Next month, third Saturday."

We walk past the shops that line the street, and something in one of the windows catches my eye.

"Aw, Niall, look!" I exclaim, pulling him over to the window.

There's a box full of kittens of all different colors in the sunlit storefront window, but there's one in particular that makes me want to curl up with it and settle down for a nice long snuggle.

"Can we get it, Ni? Please?" I ask, crouching down to press my finger against the glass where the kitten is. It looks at me with it's bright blue eyes, then puts it's paw against the glass where my finger is.

"We should go inside if you want to buy it," he replies with a smile. "I don't think it's going to come through the glass."

And that is the story of how I got a new kitten named Daisy. Niall thought it was cute, saying that now he's got two flowers.

As of right now, we're all laying on the couch in my living room, Daisy and I on top of Niall, watching a movie. We're both still in our fancy clothes, though we aren't worried about it much. Daisy doesn't seem to be the rambunctious sort that claws at everything she can get her paws on.

"We should get an apartment," Niall mutters. I move my head from it's spot on his shoulder to look at him.

"What?"

"An apartment. You know, like, somewhere of our own?" he asks. "I mean, your house is nice, but,"

"It's not ours," I finish for him. "I don't know, Ni. don't those cost a lot of money?"

"We could rent one, that's cheaper," he says. "And maybe get a roommate or something to help with the costs."

"You've been thinking about this for a while, haven't you?" I ask. I feel him shrug.

"Yeah. Kind of. I mean, we graduated, so doesn't that sort of make us adults? Like, able to take care of ourselves and all that stuff?"

"I suppose," I reply. "What do you think, Daisy?" I look down at the small kitten curled up on Niall's chest. When she hears her name, she looks up and mews quietly. "I think that's a yes."

Niall smiles, then kisses my hair. I hear a louder meow, and feel Daisy's fur along the side of my face as she paws at Niall's chin.

I giggle. "I think Daisy wants a kiss too."

"Oh my goodness, how could I have forgotten Daisy!" Niall laughs playfully. He presses a kiss to the top of the kitten's head, and she licks his chin in response.

"We'll have to look at places that are for sale," I murmur.

"Somewhere close to our classes," Niall adds.

We've both been accepted to the same college, luckily, and are set to start classes next fall. Three months from now.

Niall had complained about it when we first got the news, saying we just got out of school.

"That sounds like a good idea. Maybe then we can get a roommate that goes to the same college as us and we can all carpool," I suggest.


	30. Chapter 30

**Niall**

 

"I told you he was too big for you," I tell Rose quietly as we sit in the hospital, Rose's shoulder wrapped in gauze.

The guy she'd been fighting earlier this evening had dislocated her shoulder, but Rose had pulled through and managed to get him on the floor with her one good arm anyway.

"He was not, he just faked me out. Got lucky," she replies. She's been quiet for a long time, since the doctor left the room. She looks like she's thinking really hard about something.

"You know, your shoulder can only take so many more of these," Rafe, her trainer, says from his spot in the corner by the door. "Maybe it's time to -"

"No." Rose interrupts, glaring at him. "I'm not quitting yet. It healed last time, it'll heal again. I'll just take it easy for a little while, and then pick it back up again."

"The tournament is in three weeks," Rafe reminds her.

"One week of rest, like last time, one week to get back into it, and one week to get ready for it," she says. "I can do it."

Rafe looks skeptical, but nods anyway. "You'll have to clear it with the doctor," he says.

 

I'm not sure how, but Rose gets the doctor to approve of her plan, even though it sounds far fetched, and soon enough, I'm driving her home.

"Ni?" she asks. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," I reply.

"You've been kind of quiet, is all."

"Just thinking."

I hear her sigh.

"You don't want me to do it, do you?" she asks softly.

"It's just... I don't like you getting hurt. And knowing that you willingly put yourself in situations where that could happen... I don't know, I just don't like that I can't keep you from getting hurt," I say.

"How about..." she starts, then stops. I wait for her, not wanting to mess up her train of thought. "How about I go until after the tournament, then I stop," she suggests. "This is going to sound selfish, but I want the money. I need it."

"It's not selfish to take care of yourself, Rose," I say. "And that sound like a good idea."

"Rafe might be right," she says. "My shoulder can only take so much. It's already been messed up three times, counting tonight. I should probably stop before I lose an arm or something."

"That wouldn't be very fun," I muse. Losing an arm would suck. And It's her right arm, the one she uses for pretty much everything. Writing, most of her hitting, handjobs. Important things. It would be a shame if she lost the use of an arm.

"No, not really," Rose replies.

We're quiet until we get to her house, and I walk her up the cracked sidewalk path to the door.

When Rose opens the door, I see a flash of fur run out the door, and attack my foot.

"I think Daisy missed you," Rose giggles as I pick up the kitten.

"I missed you too, Daisy," I tell the kitten. She mews, then climbs up my arm onto my shoulder, licking my ear.


	31. Chapter 31

**Rose**

Niall sighs for about the seventh time since he's been in sitting in the kitchen with me. Daisy is somewhere around here, probably sleeping on my pillow like she's become fond of doing.

"Are you alright?" I ask for the sixth time.

His head snaps up to look at me, like he didn't realize he'd done it again.

"Yeah, I'm good," he answers.

I shut the oven, setting the timer for the cookies to bake, then walk over to stand behind him.

"What's wrong?" I ask, sliding my hands over his shoulders.

"Nothing," he replies instantly.

We haven't gotten much time to spend together the past two weeks, with Niall taking an extra shift at his job and me training for the tournament. Today was the first time we've had a day to ourselves. So of course we wanted to make cookies.

It was Niall's idea, actually, but he hasn't done anything except taste the batter to 'make sure it was alright to bake.' Other than that, he's just been sitting at the small table and sighing.

"Come on, you can tell me," I encourage, pressing my thumbs into his shoulders. "What's bugging you?"

Niall sighs again, hopefully because my hands are working out the knots in his shoulders. He's more tense than me after a long training session.

"I'm just worried," he says finally, tipping his head back to look at me.

"What about?" I ask.

"Everything. College, you, the tournament, mostly you at the tournament," he says, making a list and counting them off on his fingers.

"You don't have to worry about me, I'll be alright," I assure him.

"I know you will, you always are. But I'm worried that it's going to be one of those fights where the guy is huge, and the timing is going to be just right, and... and you won't get out of the way in time, and... I just don't want you to get hurt."

I smile. "It's nothing I can't handle, Ni."

"That's not the point, Rose," he counters. "Do you know how scary it was for me to watch that guy knock you over? I heard your shoulder pop out, that was how loud it was. It's not easy to watch." He pauses for a second, and I open my mouth to speak, but he cuts me off before I can get a word out. "And don't tell me not to watch, you know that's not going to fix anything."

"Well, that's exactly what I was gonna say," I mutter, my hands still working the muscles in his shoulders.

I lean down and press my lips to his neck, feeling him sigh again.

"I'm glad you're stopping after this season," he says quietly. "I know it means a lot to you, but it scares me when you're in the ring with someone three times as big as you and no one there to stop them from hurting you."

"It does mean a lot," I murmur against his skin. "But I know I can't do it forever. I'm not made to take all those hits. I've been lucky for a while, but I don't think I want to push it much farther."

I feel his hand come up to run through my hair.

"If you really want to keep going, you can. You don't have to listen to me," he says.

"Now you tell me," I mutter, biting a mark into his neck, underneath his ear.

He laughs for the first time today, and pulls me into his lap.

"Seriously though. Are you quitting because I want you to, or because you want to be done?" he asks.

"I think it's time to move on from it," I say. "My shoulder can't take much more, and I want to be able to use it for the rest of my life, so..." I shrug as a way of finishing my sentence.

Niall nods. "I just wanted to make sure you weren't doing it because of me. Because I hope you know that if you kept going, even though I'd still worry about you, I'd support your decision."

I smile. "Thanks Ni."


	32. Chapter 32

**Niall**

I sit in the stands, right behind Rose's chair, as we wait for the man in the ring to call her in.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" I ask her.

She nods. "Yes, Ni. This is the last one. If I win, I _win,"_ she says with a grin. She's been the same all day while waiting for every fight. A wide grin, bright eyes, and wandering hands. I'm not complaining, but I'm still a little worried for her.

I know she can handle herself, but these guys are at least three or four times as big as she is, and they aren't the type to go easy on her just because she's a girl. She's been holding her own though, winning each of her three fights throughout the day.

"And in the other corner, Scarlet!" the man shouts, and Rose stands, ducking under the ropes before walking bravely up to the large man in the center of the ring.

He's at least six feet tall, with teeth that look like they've all been knocked out at one point or another, and a long ponytail that almost matches Rose's.

They bump their taped hands together, and then begin circling each other, just like any other fight that I've watched.

The difference this time, is that I'm close enough to hear what they're saying over the dull roar of the people in the large arena.

"You're a little small to be this far in, aren't you?" the man snarls at Rose.

"And you're a little too slow, aren't you?" she retorts.

They throw out test hits, trying to spot weaknesses, each gauging how they can take the other down. None of the man's hits make contact with Rose, thankfully, but she manages to get a couple punches to his side.

After about two or three minutes of no real offensive movements, I'm sitting on the edge of my seat, biting at my thumbnail out of nerves.

"Come on," I mutter under my breath. Someone needs to make a move, before I die of a heart attack.

Rose swings with her left hand, hitting the man in the stomach before ducking when the hit is returned, successfully avoiding getting hit. When they circle around again, she's grinning.

She's figured out what she needed to.

She swings again, and this time when the man returns the hit, she drops to the floor, kicking his feet out from underneath him and taking him to the floor.

He's quick to jump back up, but unable to block the hit that Rose sends to his face. She doesn't stop, now that she can reach his face, and lays into him, until he swing his arm under her feet and knocks her onto the ground, landing on her bad shoulder.

I gasp as she grimaces, then pulls herself to her feet again, backing away from the man as he advances toward her.

He pushes her up against the ropes, then she falls again. What's going on?

"Come on, baby," I say. "Get up."

Rose pushes herself off the ground, just as the man moves in to make his last hit and finish the fight. I see her take a deep breath, then she pushes off the ground with her feet, somersaulting in the air and kicking the man in the face, sending him toppling over onto the ground, out cold.

She lands on her feet, out of breath and sweaty.

The ref counts to ten, but her opponent doesn't get up.

Then Rose's hand is thrust into the air, and everyone is cheering, and I'm on my feet, jumping up and down.

"That's my girl!"

Rose looks right at me, her smile as bright as I've ever seen it, and mouths 'love you."

**Rose**

"I didn't like that one," Niall says as we get back into his car after looking at an apartment for sale. "The kitchen was too small. There was nowhere to put anything."

"There was too," I joke. "There was enough room for a few bowls."

"But not enough room for you to sit on the counter while I make you breakfast," he replies.

I smile. "So that's three 'no's, how many more are left to look at?" I ask. We've been visiting apartments all morning, driving all over the town near the college we're going to, trying to find the perfect place to live. But Niall's being picky.

"There's one up here a little ways, and one more on the other side of town," he replies, turning down a street that I've never been down before.

_Orchid Street._

"Here it is," he says as he stops the car.

I look at the large building as I step out of the car. I wait for Niall to walk around the vehicle, then we walk in together.

The lady inside leads us up the stairs - six flights of them - then into the apartment.

It's a nice size. Not too roomy, but not too cramped.

The lady lets us walk around, telling us to take our time, so the first thing Niall does is pull me into the kitchen.

"Are the counters big enough for you?" I ask as we look around. The fridge is huge, and so is the stove.

"Let me check," he says. Suddenly he lifts me off my feet, setting me on the counter. "I think so..." he looks around, taking in the room. "I think so."

"Okay, so the kitchen has the seal of approval, what about the rest?"

I hop off the counter, following him through the small apartment. The living room area is pretty cozy, with two couches and a TV. There are two bedrooms with their own bathrooms, both with large windows, one with blue curtains and the other with a bench seat in the windowsill.

I walk over to the window seat, looking out the large window.

"I like this one," Niall says. "You could sit here while you read those weird books."

"They are not weird!" I protest. "I like them."

"I think they're weird," he replies. "But it's cute how you get so into them."

"So do you like it?" I ask.

He nods.

"Yeah, I like it."

I smile. "Me too."

The End :)


End file.
